MINISTER FOR WOMEN

Flexible Working

Diane Abbott: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what assessment the Government has made of the merits of encouraging employers to advertise posts as available for flexible working to help lone parents and carers back into the workplace; and if she will make a statement.

Meg Munn: The benefits of advertising posts as available for flexible working are to give employers access to a bigger pool of potential employees, including lone parents and carers. My right hon. Friend the Minister for Women (Ruth Kelly) opened a debate on how to take flexible working into account in the recruitment process in a speech to employers on 16 May 2007 at the Work Wise UK Summit 2007. Many employers already advertise posts as suitable for job share or flexible hours and there are specialist recruitment agencies which bring together people looking for flexible work and the jobs that can be done flexibly, but these are still the exception.

SCOTLAND

Absent Voting

David Mundell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many complaints were lodged with returning officers in respect of people not receiving their postal ballot papers in time to vote in the recent Scottish elections in May, broken down by Scottish  (a) parliamentary constituency and  (b) region.

David Cairns: Returning Officers are not required to provide this information to the Secretary of State. This information is not held centrally.

Departments: Home Working

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people in his Department have been allowed to work from home for part of the week in the last year; and if he will make a statement on his Department's policy on home working.

David Cairns: All the staff in the Scotland Office are on secondment from the Scottish Executive or the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) who are both committed to achieving a work life balance for all staff. No staff in the Office have formally worked from home in the last year.

Departments: Manpower

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people granted  (a) temporary part-time,  (b) temporary full-time,  (c) permanent part-time and  (d) permanent full-time contracts of employment in his Department in each of the last three years were (i) male, (ii) female, (iii) registered disabled and (iv) aged 55 years or over.

David Cairns: The Scotland Office does not directly employ any staff; all staff are seconded from the Scottish Executive or the Ministry of Justice, as necessary. The Office does not hold personnel records that would allow age to be determined.
	The gender breakdown of the Scotland Office, and information on disabled staff, is published in the Office's annual reports, copies of which have been placed in the House Library.

Departments: Manpower

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what percentage of staff in his Department are  (a) male,  (b) female,  (c) registered disabled and  (d) aged 55 or over.

David Cairns: The gender breakdown of the Scotland Office and information on disabled staff is published in the Office's annual report, a copy of which has been placed in the House Library. The staff in the Office are seconded from the Scottish Executive or the Ministry of Justice and the Scotland Office does not hold personnel records that would allow age to be determined.

Departments: Remploy

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what  (a) services and  (b) products his Department has procured from Remploy in the last 12 months; and at what cost.

David Cairns: None.

Elections

David Mundell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has met Scottish Ministers to discuss the Electoral Commission's statutory review of the Scottish parliamentary elections.

David Cairns: My right hon. Friend and I have not had any discussions with Scottish Ministers on this issue. The Electoral Commission and its statutory review are both independent of Government. The Commission is only bound by statute to report on the Scottish Parliament election but, at the request of Scottish Ministers, will also include the Scottish local government election.

Elections

David Mundell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he was consulted on the final ballot papers adopted for the Scottish parliamentary elections in May which were issued to voters.

David Cairns: Returning Officers were not required to consult the Secretary of State on the final ballot papers issued to voters for the Scottish Parliament elections in May. The Scottish Parliament (Elections etc.) Order 2007 sets out the rules that Returning Officers are required to follow in printing the ballot paper.

Elections

David Mundell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what level of consultation was undertaken with political parties about the design and format of ballot papers used in the Glasgow and Lothian regions for the recent Scottish parliamentary elections.

David Cairns: There is no duty on Returning Officers to consult political parties on the design of ballot papers to be used in their area. They are required only to follow the statutory requirements for ballot papers laid out in the Scottish Parliament (Elections etc.) Order 2007. These statutory requirements, debated and agreed by Parliament, were finalised following a substantial consultation process, including a public consultation exercise which all political parties were invited to respond to. Many, though not all, political parties in Scotland responded to that consultation.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Armed Conflict: Journalism

Don Foster: To ask the Solicitor-General what  (a) correspondence and  (b) discussions the Law Officers' Department has had with (i) European counterparts and (ii) others to seek the earliest possible compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1738, on the protection of journalists in armed conflict; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: None.

Armed Conflict: Journalism

Don Foster: To ask the Solicitor-General what steps have been taken by the Law Officers' Department to ensure the UK's compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1738, on the protection of journalists in armed conflict; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The United Kingdom takes seriously its obligations, under international humanitarian law, to protect journalists and other civilians in situations of armed conflict and already has in place the necessary measures to ensure compliance. The Law Officers' departments have not been required to take additional steps following the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1738 (2006).

Crown Prosecution Service: Powers

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Solicitor-General what consideration the Government has given to the proposals made by the Chairman of the Criminal Cases Review Commission in Birmingham on 10 May, with particular reference to extending the powers of the Crown Prosecution Service relating to the instigation and conduct of prosecutions to those areas currently within the remit of the Health and Safety Executive and other regulatory or enforcement bodies; and if the Government will respond to the proposals.

Mike O'Brien: There are no plans, at present, to extend the powers of the Crown Prosecution Service, which are set out in the Prosecutions of Offences Act 1985.

Data Protection: Prosecutions

Norman Baker: To ask the Solicitor-General what criteria are followed by the Director of Public Prosecutions in deciding whether to give his consent pursuant to section 60 of the Data Protection Act 1998 to a prosecution for a non-notification offence under that Act.

Mike O'Brien: In cases requiring the consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions, specific consideration must be given to the decision to institute or continue proceedings.
	A crown prosecutor can give consent on behalf of the Director of Public Prosecutions by virtue of section 1(7) of the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985.
	The decision to grant consent should be taken applying the principles set out in the Code for Crown Prosecutors and the CPS's policies. Consent cases should be reviewed at the earliest possible opportunity.
	The Code for Crown Prosecutors is a publicly available document, which can be accessed from the CPS's website at
	http://www.cps.gov.uk/publications/docs/code2004english.pdf

Departments: Advertising

Grant Shapps: To ask the Solicitor-General 
	(1)  which  (a) advertising agencies and  (b) other organisations supplied consultancy services for advertising campaigns for the Law Officers' Departments in each of the last five years; and what the cost of these services was;
	(2)  how much was spent on advertising by  (a) the Department and  (b) its non-departmental agencies in each of the last five years.

Mike O'Brien: The Law Officers' Departments advertise solely for recruitment purposes, with one exception: within the Treasury Solicitor's Department (TSol) the specialist Bona Vacantia division regularly places advertisements in the press seeking kin in cases where individuals have died intestate with no apparent claimants to the estate under administration. The costs for this activity are treated as an expense on the Crown Nominee's Account that is presented separately to Parliament.
	The Law Officers' Departments' expenditure in the last five years on recruitment was as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 TSol 132,718 128,124 50,786 125,611 *132,891 
			 HMCPSI 15,283 53,859 11,914 54,332 63,875 
			 RCPO n/a n/a n/a 9,634 9,634 
			 SFO n/a 7,252 26,745 42,236 51,259 
			 CPS n/a n/a n/a 356,986 437,881 
			 Totals 148,001 189,235 89,445 588,769 695,540 
			 n/a = not available 
		
	
	The Treasury Solicitor also handles recruitment advertising for the Attorney General's Office, and for HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate.
	The Revenue and Customs Prosecution Office was established in April 2005 and therefore has no data before this.
	The Crown Prosecution Service recruitment advertising costs prior to 2005 are not available as they are not recorded centrally and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The Serious Fraud Office uses the services of a media agency, WDAD, who are an approved supplier under a Cabinet Office framework.
	The CPS uses Barkers to place its advertisements through a Central Office of Information contract.

Departments: Property

Grant Shapps: To ask the Solicitor-General what the cost of leasing buildings and office space for the Law Officers' Departments was in each of the last five years.

Mike O'Brien: The Law Officers' Departments' expenditure is set out in the following table, where the figures for the Attorney-General's Office and Her Majesty's Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate are included within the Treasury Solicitor figures:
	
		
			  £ 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 TSol 1,107,017 1,040,500 1,040,513 2,754,822 (1)4,005,836 
			 RCPO (2)— (2)— (2)— 1,591,000 1,789,000 
			 SFO 1,499,380 1,605,518 1,672,570 2,295,100 2,718,206 
			 CPS 33,461,460 36,593,182 38,428,070 36,047,186 37,822,083 
			 Totals 36,067,857 39,239,200 41,141,153 42,688,108 46,335,125 
			 (1) Forecast (2 )The Revenue and Customs Prosecution Office was established in April 2005 and therefore has no data before this.

Departments: Public Relations

Grant Shapps: To ask the Solicitor-General how much has been spent by the Law Officers' Departments on public relations in each of the last five years.

Mike O'Brien: The Law Officers' Departments' publicity and press work is conducted by its in-house Press and Communications Teams. It is not possible to distinguish the costs of their proactive public relations work from that of reactive media handling.
	No external PR agencies have been used by the Law Officers' Departments during this period.

Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland: Annual Reports

David Lidington: To ask the Solicitor-General whether the annual report of the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland for 2006-07 will include statistics on  (a) reported race crimes,  (b) cases prosecuted,  (c) cases securing convictions and  (d) cases not prosecuted; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The Public Prosecution Service published its first annual report last year and the report for 2006-07 will be published in July. The PPS does compile figures on race crimes and those figures can be made available on request. However, last year's and this year's report, although providing full statistics on case numbers and outcomes, does not break the figures down by individual offence. Whilst to publish race crime statistics alone in the report would be anomalous, a more detailed breakdown will be provided for the 2007-08 report.

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Cathedral Buildings

Mark Pritchard: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what the Commissioners' policy is on the use of cathedral buildings by the creative media industry.

Stuart Bell: As 'Building Faith in Our Future' shows, the Church is not precious about the uses to which cathedral buildings are put in serving the wider community so long as we always remember their role as centres of worship and mission and as iconic parts of the nation's heritage.

Church Properties

Gordon Prentice: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners how much the Church Commissioners received from commercial organisations from  (a) advertising on church buildings and  (b) using church properties for telecommunication purposes in the last 12 months.

Stuart Bell: Records are not kept centrally. In each case, agreements are formed between the individual cathedral and the church authorities and the commercial organisations in question.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

House of Commons

Frank Doran: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission whether a report has been received from Sir Kevin Tebbit's review of the management and services of the House.

Nick Harvey: Yes. It is published today as House of Commons paper HC 685 and is available on the internet at:
	http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200607/cmselect/cmcomm/685/685.pdf.
	The Commission is very grateful to Sir Kevin Tebbit and his team for their thorough analysis and recommendations. The report will be considered by the Administration, Finance and Services and Audit Committees and be debated after the summer recess. The Commission has invited the Board of Management to consider the report and prepare a programme for taking forward its proposals, subject to points made by Members in the debate. The Commission will consider the report again and decide upon its recommendations in the autumn after views from Members of the House and the House administration have been made known.

WALES

Departments: Credit Cards

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much was spent by staff in his Department via departmental  (a) credit,  (b) procurement and  (c) fuel cards in each of the last three years.

Peter Hain: The Wales Office does not have fuel cards.
	Corporate credit cards were introduced in the Wales Office in April 2004.
	The amount spent on corporate credit cards is as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2004-05 1,213.41 
			 2005-06 4,371.46 
			 2006-07 13,950.40 
		
	
	Information on the Government procurement card is not kept in this format and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	Increased spending on credit cards is the result of an active programme within the Wales Office to encourage their use. This has produced significant savings on processing and transaction costs. As such, the increase reflects greater usage of cards, rather than increased overall spend.

Departments: Older Workers

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of staff in his Department were over 60 years of age in each of the last three years.

Peter Hain: This information is not systematically recorded and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Older Workers

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many people aged  (a) over 55 years of age and  (b) over 60 years of age have been recruited by his Department in each of the last three years; and what percentage in each case this is of the number of new recruits in each year.

Peter Hain: The Wales Office has only recruited existing civil servants. In accordance with good practice and anti-age discrimination, candidates for Wales Office jobs are not asked to provide their dates of birth on applications.
	As such, this information is not systematically recorded, and collating it could be achieved only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Public Participation

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many public consultations his Department undertook in the last 12 months; and what the cost was of each consultation.

Peter Hain: None.

Departments: Remploy

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what  (a) services and  (b) products his Department has procured from Remploy in the last 12 months; and at what cost.

Peter Hain: The Wales Office uses the Ministry of Justice procurement systems and the Office of Government Commerce on line procurement services.
	To date Remploy have not featured in either of those sources. We are aware of the services they offer and subject to our value for money and sustainable development criteria being met would consider a Remploy tender via those procurement channels.

Departments: Surveys

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many staff surveys his Department undertook in the last 12 months; and at what total cost.

Peter Hain: In the last 12 months the Wales Office participated in one staff opinion survey conducted by the Ministry of Justice. There was no cost to the Wales Office.

PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMISSION

National Audit Office Reports

Norman Baker: To ask the Chairman of the Public Accounts Commission what recent reports the Commission has considered from the appointed auditor of the National Audit Office; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Williams: The Public Accounts Commission considers each year, usually in July, the auditors' report on the National Audit Office's annual resource account and on the NAO's statement on the financial impact of its work. It also considers at the same time the auditors' annual value for money examination of an aspect of the Office's operations. This was last done in July 2006. The Commission expects to receive the next set of reports from the auditors in July this year.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Departments: Credit Cards

David Simpson: To ask the Leader of the House how much was spent by staff in his Office via departmental  (a) credit,  (b) procurement and  (c) fuel cards in each of the last three years.

Jack Straw: This information is not currently available in the format requested following the Machinery of Government transfer of my office from the Privy Council Office to the Cabinet Office. However, on occasion my Office has used corporate credit and procurement cards, mainly with regard to the booking of travel. Fuel cards are not used by my Office.

Departments: Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Leader of the House what the rate of employer contributions to the Parliamentary Contributory Pension Scheme is for 2007-08; what savings he estimates would result from capping the rate to 14 per cent. for each year from 2007-08 to 2020-22; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to him on 30 October 2006,  Official Report, columns 20-21W.
	Limiting the Exchequer contribution to 14 per cent. would, if the actuarial valuation assumptions are borne out in practice, reduce the contribution by 12.8 per cent. of pensionable pay for the period up to 2020-21. Based on an estimated total pensionable pay for 2007-08 of £44.5 million, reducing the Exchequer contribution to 14 per cent. would represent a £5.7 million per annum saving.
	The PCPF is a "balance of cost" scheme whereby the Exchequer makes up the balance of cost after taking account of pension benefits and payments, Member contributions and investment returns. Reducing the Exchequer contributions until 2020-21 would increase the level of deficit, which would eventually need to be paid by the Exchequer or by increasing Member contributions, reducing the level of pension benefits or a combination of these.

Members: Cycling

Martin Horwood: To ask the Leader of the House if he will take steps to enable hon. Members to register with the Government's cycle to work scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: The cycle to work scheme is designed for the employees of participating organisations. Members of Parliament are not employees of the House of Commons but office-holders and as such are not eligible. However, Members of Parliament are entitled to claim a bicycle allowance of 20p per mile for official travel, a rate which provides an incentive to use an environmentally-friendly means of travel and is approved by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs.

Written Questions

Dai Davies: To ask the Leader of the House pursuant to the answer of 8 March 2007,  Official Report, column 2147W, on written questions, when he expects to complete his assessment of whether to publish in the  Official Report letters written to hon. Members in lieu of written parliamentary answers.

Jack Straw: Letters sent to hon. Members from Ministers or from the heads of Executive Agencies in response to a parliamentary question are already published in the  Official Report, except where there are issues of confidentiality or undue length. I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement of 21 July 2004  Official Report, column 35WS, and the written answer of 26 January 2005,  Official Report, column 345W. In respect of letters from non-departmental public bodies, following the hon. Member's earlier question I wrote to the chairman of the Procedure Committee asking that the Committee examine the issues involved.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Departmental Coordination

Margaret Moran: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what shared service initiatives have been completed within Government; and what assessment she has made of their effectiveness.

Patrick McFadden: Shared Services is a key part of Transformational Government and there has been significant progress across central Government. MOD, DWP, HMRC, Prison Service, DfT and DEFRA have all established shared HR and Finance Services.
	The NHS Shared Business Service has saved over 100 trusts an average of 34 per cent. of the cost of processing finance transactions through shared finance services. It is on track to deliver savings of more than £220 million over 10 years. The Ministry of Defence's People, Pay and Pensions Agency is reducing costs at the same time as improving quality. Through sharing and related reforms, the Department is expecting a net benefit of over £300 million during the next 10 years. Transport for London saved approximately 30 per cent. on its human resources spend in the first year of operating its shared service centre.
	Government are looking to share a variety of additional services across Government. For example, the new Cabinet Office IT contract is available to other Departments and public sector organisations.

Dietary Supplements: EC Law

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps have recently been taken by officials  (a) of her Department and  (b) of the Better Regulation Executive to ensure that the Government's objectives for the interpretation and implementation of the Food Supplements Directive are met.

Patrick McFadden: Cabinet Office officials, including from the Better Regulation Executive, have worked closely with the Food Standards Agency to help deliver the Government's objectives on the Food Supplements Directive, in particular on the issue of maximum permitted levels for minerals and vitamins under Article 5 of the Directive. Cabinet Office officials have also worked with the Food Standards Agency on preparing a stakeholder consultation on an initial Regulatory Impact Assessment with respect to food supplements.

Pensions: Civil Service

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the present rates of employer contributions to Civil Service Scheme pension scheme are; what estimate she has made of the cost savings for each year from 2008 to 2050 of capping the employer contribution at 14 per cent.; and if she will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 27 November 2006,  Official Report, columns 345-46W. The rates of employer contributions have not changed, but the salary bands referred to in the answer were revalorised from 1 April 2007 by the Scheme Actuary.
	I have not made any estimates of the cost savings arising from capping the employer contribution at 14 per cent.

Service Transformation Board

Margaret Moran: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what assessment she has made of the performance of the Service Transformation Board.

Patrick McFadden: The Service Transformation Board—now re-constituted as the Delivery Council—consists of officials with responsibilities for business delivery of transformation. It worked in partnership with the Chief Information Officers' (CIO) Council on the transformation of Citizen and Business Centred Services set out in the "Transformational Government (Cm 6683) report"; its initial achievements were reported in "Transformational Government: Annual Report 2006" (Cm 6970). The Delivery Council is now supporting Ministers and the Civil Service Steering Board in the next stages of the Transformational Government strategy including the implementation of Sir David Varney's report "Service Transformation: A better service for citizens and businesses, a better deal for the taxpayer".

V

Greg Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 4 June 2007,  Official Report, column 46W, on V, what definition she uses of a volunteering opportunity.

Edward Miliband: V's definition of a volunteering opportunity is available on their website at:
	http://www.wearev.com/vlearning/index.php
	a copy of which I place in the Library for the reference of Members.

PRIME MINISTER

Honours

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Prime Minister which people who received honours in Her Majesty the Queen's birthday honours are  (a) citizens of the Irish Republic,  (b) citizens of Commonwealth countries, other than the UK and  (c) citizens of non-UK countries other than the Irish Republic or Commonwealth countries.

Tony Blair: The information requested is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur disproportionate costs.

IBM Corporation

James Gray: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1428W, on the IBM Corporation, what the cost was to the public purse of the meeting; whether he received any gifts from Mr. Gerstner; and what meetings he has had since that date with representatives of the IBM Corporation.

Tony Blair: I have nothing further to add to the answer I gave the hon. Member on 18 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1428W.

Libyan Arab Republic

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Prime Minister who accompanied him on his recent visit to Libya; and which company or organisational affiliation each person had.

Tony Blair: Since 1999 the Government have published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more during each financial year. Copies of these lists are available in the Library of the House. Information on the number of officials accompanying Ministers on overseas visits is included in the list.
	All Ministers' travel arrangements are in accordance with the arrangements for official travel set out in chapter 10 of the Ministerial Code, and the accompanying guidance document, "Travel by Ministers". Information for 2007-08 will be published in the normal way.

Lord Birt

Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the contribution of Lord Birt in his role as special adviser.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the press notice issued by my Office on 15 December 2005. The press notice is available on the Number 10 website: http: //www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page8774.asp, and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House.

Members: Correspondence

Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister by what date he expects to respond to the letter dated 17 May from the hon. Member for Lewes on the disposal of gifts he has received.

Tony Blair: As far as I am aware, my Office had not received the letter at the time this question was tabled.

Saudi Arabia: Arms Trade

David Laws: To ask the Prime Minister what representations  (a) he and  (b) his officials in 10 Downing street have received from (i) the Government of Saudi Arabia and (ii) its representatives on the Serious Fraud Office inquiry into defence orders for Saudi Arabia; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 19 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1610W, by my hon. Friend the Minister for State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Dr. Howells).

Saudi Arabia: Arms Trade

David Laws: To ask the Prime Minister what advice he sought from the heads of the UK's security and intelligence agencies in relation to the impact on national security and foreign policy objectives in the Middle East of the investigation by the Serious Fraud Office into the al-Yamamah defence sales contract; when such advice was requested; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my hon. and learned Friend the Solicitor-General on 14 December 2006,  Official Report, columns 1119-20, and to his response during the debate on 7 February 2007,  Official Report, columns 875-76.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Departmental Coordination

Norman Baker: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what progress he has made in co-ordinating the development of Government policy since May 2006.

John Prescott: I refer the hon. Member to my Department's annual report, copies of which are available in the Library for the reference of Members.

Departments: Official Gifts

Norman Baker: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what gifts he received on his recent visit to the West Indies.

John Prescott: The Government publish an annual list of gifts received by Ministers valued at more than £140. Information relating to 2007-08 will be published as soon as it is available at the end of the financial year.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Departments: Aviation

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many flights to overseas destinations were taken by  (a) civil servants and  (b) Ministers in his Department in each of the last three calendar years; and what the total cost was of such flights.

Peter Hain: All travel by civil servants or Ministers is undertaken in accordance with civil service rules and procedures, the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers. These combined figures for the years in question are set out in the following table.
	
		
			   Flights  Cost  (£) 
			 April 2004 to December 2004 137 122,308.51 
			 January 2005 to December 2005 258 238,704.47 
			 January 2006 to December 2006 160 148,342.60 
		
	
	Figures for January 2004 to March 2004 are not available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Energy

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many energy saving light bulbs were purchased by his Department for use on the departmental estate in  (a) 2005 and  (b) 2006.

Peter Hain: The Department has a variety of light fittings which accept a wide range of bulbs. No records are kept of the numbers or frequency of bulb replacement and the cost of obtaining these figures would be disproportionate. Energy saving light bulbs are, where practicable, the preferred type of light bulb.

Departments: Manpower

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people granted  (a) temporary part-time,  (b) temporary full-time,  (c) permanent part-time and  (d) permanent full-time contracts of employment in his Department in each of the last three years were (i) male, (ii) female, (iii) registered disabled and (iv) aged 55 years or over.

Paul Goggins: The following table details the number of staff employed within the Northern Ireland Office granted  (a) temporary part-time,  (b) temporary full-time,  (c) permanent part-time and  (d) permanent full-time contracts of employment in each of the last three years who were (i) male, (ii) female, (iii) registered disabled and (iv) aged 55 years or over.
	
		
			   Temporary  Permanent 
			   Part-time  Full-time  Part-time  Full-time 
			  2004 
			 Male — 25 — 86 
			 Female — 23 1 91 
			 Disabled — — — 3 
			 55+  1  3 
			  
			  2005 
			 Male — 36 — 50 
			 Female — 33 1 74 
			 Disabled — — — 1 
			 55+ — — — 1 
			  
			  2006 
			 Male — 33 — 55 
			 Female — 28 2 84 
			 Disabled — — — 3 
			 55+ — 1 1 1

Departments: Older Workers

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people aged  (a) over 55 years of age and  (b) over 60 years of age have been recruited by his Department in each of the last three years; and what percentage in each case this is of the number of new recruits in each year.

Paul Goggins: The figures in relation to the Northern Ireland Office are as follows:
	2004: Four staff recruited aged 55 years or over; this represents 1.7 per cent. of new recruits. Zero staff recruited aged 60 years or over.
	2005: One member of staff recruited aged 55 years or over; this represents 0.5 per cent. of new recruits. Zero staff recruited aged 60 years or over.
	2006: Three staff recruited aged 55 years or over; this represents 1.5 per cent. of new recruits. One member of staff recruited aged 60 years or over; this represents 0.5 per cent. of new recruits.

Departments: Surveys

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many staff surveys his Department undertook in the last 12 months; and at what total cost.

Peter Hain: The NIO undertook two staff surveys in the last 12 months at a total cost of £3,107. One was a periodical departmental staff survey which cost £3,107 and the other was a survey carried out in-house at zero costs by the Department's community safety unit. This answer relates only to the NIO and does not include its agencies or NDPBs.

Graduates

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many and what percentage of  (a) women and  (b) men of (i) white, (ii) Afro-Caribbean and (iii) Asian ethnicity received (A) first class, (B) upper second class and (C) lower second class degrees in Northern Irish universities in the last five years for which figures are available.

Peter Hain: This is now the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Administration.

Juvenile Justice Centre

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many  (a) attempted suicides and  (b) self-harm incidents were recorded for juveniles at the Juvenile Justice Centre in each of the last three years.

Maria Eagle: The threat of suicide in custody is prevalent and the Juvenile Justice Centre operates a system of risk assessment to detect and manage suicidal and self-harm tendencies in young people. There have been no serious attempts at suicide in the last three years. Information relating to incidents of self-harm is recorded on individual case files and is not centrally co-ordinated. All incidents of self-harm, whether threatened or real, are treated seriously and intervention and support procedures exist to minimise the risk of recurrence and to ensure the continuing safety of young people at the centre.

Prisoner Escapes

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 8 March 2007,  Official Report, column 2201W, on prisoner escapes, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the fall in the number of  (a) prosecutions and  (b) convictions in 2005; and what steps he is taking to (i) reduce the number of escapees and (ii) achieve a higher conviction rate.

Paul Goggins: The fall in the numbers of prosecutions and convictions in relation to escape from lawful custody offences since 2005 may partly reflect a change in policy, whereby prisoners who were granted temporary leave but failed to return on the agreed date were no longer automatically charged with an offence. Only in cases where the prisoner had been unlawfully at large for longer than eight weeks was a prosecution sought.
	Under new proposals, however, PSNI will be notified as soon as a person has been unlawfully at large for seven days or more, with a view to prosecution. Notification may also be made for periods less than seven days, when the Governor in question considers this is justified by the circumstances of the case.
	In addition, the PSNI have recently agreed new reporting procedures with the Northern Ireland Prison Service to ensure that all such cases will now be investigated and reported to the PPS. This will increase the number of convictions being achieved.
	The procedures surrounding the supervision of prisoners both within and outside of prison establishments are constantly reviewed to ensure maximum efficiency and effectiveness and to minimise the possibility of escapes.

Sexual Offences

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many cases of sexual assault were reported in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years  (a) in total,  (b) in each parliamentary constituency and  (c) in each council area.

Paul Goggins: I have been advised by the PSNI that statistics are collected by District Command Units which are coterminous with council areas. These statistics are set out in the following table. The data are not collated by other areas and therefore not available broken down by parliamentary constituency.
	
		
			  Sexual offences recorded by PSNI 
			   Sexual assaults 
			  PSNI District Command Units  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Antrim 22 33 44 
			 Ards 39 57 43 
			 East Belfast 66 46 63 
			 North Belfast 75 72 66 
			 South Belfast 94 90 99 
			 West Belfast 45 38 45 
			 Carrickfergus 24 14 25 
			 Castlereagh 15 31 28 
			 Larne 27 14 16 
			 Lisburn 65 69 78 
			 Newtownabbey 49 51 54 
			 North Down 40 49 46 
			 Urban region total 561 564 607 
			 
			 Armagh 26 26 25 
			 Ballymena 46 58 48 
			 Ballymoney 13 13 14 
			 Banbridge 21 18 19 
			 Coleraine 42  58 
			 Cookstown 12 17 14 
			 Craigavon 46 67 54 
			 Down 31 42 32 
			 Dungannon and South Tyrone 28 21 28 
			 Fermanagh 31 24 43 
			 Foyle 115 139 135 
			 Limavady 25 23 32 
			 Magherafelt 18 21 24 
			 Moyle 11 12 6 
			 Newry and Mourne 36 35 47 
			 Omagh 36 38 49 
			 Strabane 28 23 35 
			 Rural region total 565 635 647 
			 
			 Northern Ireland 1,126 1,199 1,254 
			  Note: Sexual assault includes the following offences: rape, attempted rape, indecent assault on a female, indecent assault on a female child, indecent assault on a male, indecent assault on a male child.

Sexual Offences

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of serious sexual crimes reported in Northern Ireland resulted in conviction in the courts in each of the last three years.

Maria Eagle: Data relating to the number and percentage of serious sexual crimes reported that result in a conviction are not available as figures relating to recorded crime are collected on a different basis from those of prosecutions and convictions. Recorded crime figures relate to the number of notifiable crimes reported whereas prosecutions and convictions refer to the number of offenders who have been subsequently charged for offences. In addition, recorded crime figures incorporate each offence as initially recorded and these may differ from the offence for which a suspect or suspects are subsequently proceeded against.
	Table 1-3 gives the number of prosecutions and convictions for indictable sexual offences by individual offence and percentage of prosecutions that resulted in a conviction.
	Data cover the calendar years 2003 to 2005, the latest available years and are collated on the principal offence rule; thus only the most serious offence with which an offender is charged is included.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of prosecutions and convictions and percentage convicted for indictable sexual offences by individual offence 2003 
			  Offence  Prosecutions  Convictions  Percentage 
			 Rape 26 8 31 
			 Attempted rape(1) 5 2 40 
			 Buggery 2 1 50 
			 Gross indecency with child 8 6 75 
			 Buggery with boy under 16 years of age 1 1 100 
			 Buggery with woman 1 0 0 
			 Buggery with girl 1 0 0 
			 Gross indecency with a male under 21 years 1 1 100 
			 Unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl under 14 1 1 100 
			 Unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl under 17 5 5 100 
			 Indecent assault on female 90 57 63 
			 Indecent assault on male 11 6 55 
			 Indecent assault on female child 7 3 43 
			 Indecent assault on male child 1 0 0 
			 Indecent exposure with intent to assault a female 6 2 33 
			 Bigamy 2 2 100 
			 Distributing indecent photographs of children 1 0 0 
			 Possessing indecent photograph of a child 3 2 67 
			 Taking indecent photograph(s) or pseudo photographs of children 10 9 90 
			 Copying indecent photograph(s) or pseudo photograph(s) of children 1 1 100 
			 Taking indecent photographs 1 1 100 
			 Total 184 108 59 
			 (1 )Includes assault with intent to rape. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of prosecutions and convictions and percentage convicted for indictable sexual offences by individual offence 2004 
			  Offence  Prosecutions  Convictions  Percentage 
			 Rape 29 15 52 
			 Attempted rape(1) 8 3 38 
			 Gross indecency with child 5 3 60 
			 Buggery with male person, 16 years or over without consent 1 0 0 
			 Buggery with boy under 16 years of age 11 6 55 
			 Buggery with woman 1 1 100 
			 Buggery with girl 3 1 33 
			 Unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl under 14 4 4 100 
			 Unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl under 17 3 2 67 
			 Indecent assault on female 89 57 64 
			 Indecent assault on male 20 17 85 
			 Indecent assault on female child 8 3 38 
			 Indecent assault on male child 6 4 67 
			 Indecent exposure with intent to assault a female 3 2 67 
			 Distributing indecent photographs of children 1 1 100 
			 Possession of indecent or pseudo photograph(s) with a view to distribution 1 1 100 
			 Taking indecent photograph(s) or pseudo photographs of children 9 8 89 
			 Copying indecent photograph(s) or pseudo photograph(s) of children 2 2 100 
			 Making indecent photograph(s) or pseudo photograph (s) of children 7 7 100 
			 Total 211 137 65 
			 (1 )Includes assault with intent to rape. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Number of prosecutions and convictions and percentage convicted for indictable sexual offences by individual offence 2005 
			  Offence  Prosecutions  Convictions  Percentage 
			 Rape 21 4 19 
			 Attempted rape(1) 9 4 44 
			 Gross indecency with child 10 6 60 
			 Buggery with boy under 16 years of age 3 1 33 
			 Buggery with girl 2 0 0 
			 Unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl under 14 4 3 75 
			 Unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl under 17 4 4 100 
			 Permitting girl under 17 to use premises for intercourse 1 1 100 
			 Incest by man 1 1 100 
			 Forcibly abducting a female with intent to carnally know her 1 0 0 
			 Indecent assault on female 85 51 60 
			 Indecent assault on male 16 11 69 
			 Indecent assault on female child 20 18 90 
			 Indecent assault on male child 8 5 63 
			 Indecent exposure with intent to assault a female 5 2 40 
			 Exposure 3 3 100 
			 Voyeurism 2 2 100 
			 Sex offender failing to notify police of change of address 7 6 86 
			 Breach of interim Sex Offender' s Prevention Order 1 1 100 
			 Bigamy 1 1 100 
			 Distributing indecent photographs of children 2 1 50 
			 Possessing indecent photograph of a child 2 0 0 
			 Taking indecent photograph(s) or pseudo photographs of children 1 1 100 
			 Making indecent photograph(s) or pseudo photograph (s) of children 11 10 91 
			 Total 220 136 62 
			 (1 )Includes assault with intent to rape.

Sexual Offences

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people were  (a) prosecuted and  (b) convicted of sexual offences in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years, broken down by offence.

Maria Eagle: Table 1 gives the number of prosecutions and convictions for sexual offences by individual offence.
	Data cover the calendar years 2003 to 2005 and are collated on the principal offence rule; thus only the most serious offence with which an offender is charged is included.
	
		
			  Table 1: number of prosecutions and convictions for sexual offences by individual offence 2003-05 
			   2003  2004  2005 
			  Offence  Prosecutions  Convictions  Prosecutions  Convictions  Prosecutions  Convictions 
			 Rape 26 8 29 15 21 4 
			 Attempted rape(1) 5 2 8 3 9 4 
			 Buggery 2 1 0 0 0 0 
			 Gross indecency with child 8 6 5 3 10 6 
			 Buggery with male person, 16 years or over without consent 0 0 1 0 0 0 
			 Buggery with boy under 16 years of age 1 1 11 6 3 1 
			 Buggery with woman 1 0 1 1 0 0 
			 Buggery with girl 1 0 3 1 2 0 
			 Gross indecency with a male under 21 years 1 1 0 0 0 0 
			 Unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl under 14 1 1 4 4 4 3 
			 Unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl under 17 5 5 3 2 4 4 
			 Permitting girl under 17 to use premises for intercourse 0 0 0 0 1 1 
			 Incest by man 0 0 0 0 1 1 
			 Forcibly abducting a female with intent to carnally know her 0 0 0 0 1 0 
			 Indecent assault on female 90 57 89 57 85 51 
			 Indecent assault on male 11 6 20 17 16 11 
			 Indecent assault on female child 7 3 8 3 20 18 
			 Indecent assault on male child 1 0 6 4 8 5 
			 Indecent exposure with intent to assault a female 6 2 3 2 5 2 
			 Exposure 0 0 0 0 3 3 
			 Voyeurism 0 0 0 0 2 2 
			 Sex offender failing to notify police of change of address 0 0 0 0 7 6 
			 Breach of interim Sex Offender's Prevention Order 0 0 0 0 1 1 
			 Bigamy 2 2 0 0 1 1 
			 Distributing indecent photographs of children 1 0 1 1 2 1 
			 Possessing indecent photographs of children 1 1 1 1 2 2 
			 Possessing indecent photograph of a child 3 2 0 0 2 0 
			 Possession of indecent or pseudo photograph(s) with a view to distribution 0 0 1 1 0 0 
			 Taking indecent photograph(s) or pseudo photographs of children 10 9 9 8 1 1 
			 Copying indecent photograph(s) or pseudo photograph(s) of children 1 1 2 2 0 0 
			 Making indecent photograph(s) or pseudo photograph (s) of children 0 0 7 7 11 10 
			 Taking indecent photographs 1 1 0 0 0 0 
			 Failure to provide information to police on sex offences 6 6 6 4 3 3 
			 Brothel keeping 0 0 1 1 3 3 
			 Soliciting 0 0 1 1 0 0 
			 Total 191 115 220 144 228 144 
			 (1) Includes assault with intent to rape.

Speed Limits: Fines

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much revenue was generated through the issuing of speeding tickets in  (a) each constituency and  (b) each council area in Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years; and how many tickets were issued in each area during that period.

Paul Goggins: Fixed penalty notices fall into two categories. The first is an endorsable fixed penalty notice which means there will be points placed on the individual's driving licence (a licence endorsement) as well as a fixed penalty fine. The second is a non-endorsable fixed penalty notice where there is only a fine. Revenue from the latter category is not paid to the PSNI.
	Revenue from endorsable fixed penalty notices issued for excess speed is set out as follows.
	The two tables take account of the change in policing structures from RUC sub divisions to PSNI district command units.
	
		
			  Table 1: Fixed penalty notices by sub-division for the period 1 October 1997-31 March 2001 
			   1997 (1 Octobe r-  31 December)  1998  1999 
			  Sub-divisional area  FPNs issued  Revenue  (£)  FPNs issued  Revenue  (£)  FPNs issued  Revenue  (£) 
			 Antrim 150 5,600 643 22,280 642 20,240 
			 Antrim Road 25 840 106 3,840 149 4,840 
			 Armagh 25 840 159 5,640 255 7,640 
			 Ballymena 337 11,480 1,054 34,640 724 23,520 
			 Ballymoney 50 1,840 280 10,240 214 7,200 
			 Banbridge 163 5,240 805 23,560 444 14,400 
			 Bangor 155 5,480 795 27,880 603 20,040 
			 Carrickfergus 32 1,120 231 8,680 341 11,080 
			 Castlereagh 212 6,880 510 16,400 378 12,640 
			 Coleraine 102 3,520 422 13,840 369 13,160 
			 Cookstown 59 1,960 349 12,280 457 15,000 
			 Donegall Pass 50 1,680 116 4,240 115 4,520 
			 Downpatrick 142 4,320 528 16,560 483 14,920 
			 Dungannon 107 3,320 408 14,720 609 19,320 
			 Dunmurry 80 2,880 489 17,400 448 15,120 
			 Enniskillen 92 3,120 272 9,120 163 5,720 
			 Grosvenor Road 6 240 24 640 44 1,440 
			 Larne 66 2,080 186 6,480 251 6,680 
			 Limavady 48 1,520 179 5,880 197 7,000 
			 Lisburn 78 3,120 503 18,280 554 18,960 
			 Lisnaskea 64 2,480 347 11,400 170 6,240 
			 Lurgan 96 2,960 420 14,160 493 17,240 
			 Magherafelt 107 3,240 507 16,200 396 13,360 
			 Mountpottinger 11 280 36 1,120 12 320 
			 Musgrave Street 4 160 24 800 57 1,960 
			 Newcastle 52 1,600 281 9,880 279 9,080 
			 Newry 54 2,000 174 6,320 225 8,120 
			 Newtownabbey 80 2,720 461 16,040 477 15,960 
			 Newtownards 159 5,640 574 18,240 509 16,440 
			 North Queen Street 27 840 86 2,640 150 4,640 
			 Omagh 135 4,520 748 24,160 829 27,320 
			 Portadown 63 2,040 416 14,560 358 11,760 
			 Strabane 38 1,440 162 5,680 118 3,920 
			 Strand Road 29 840 209 6,600 142 4,560 
			 Strand town 205 6,600 924 30,320 727 24,760 
			 Tennent Street 27 1,000 58 1,760 60 1,920 
			 Waterside 58 2,000 406 14,240 377 11,560 
			 Woodbourne 20 400 43 1,480 53 1,640 
			 Unknown 362 12,080 44 400 210 6,560 
			 Total 3,570 119,920 13,979 468,600 13,082 430,800 
		
	
	
		
			   2000  2001 (1 January- 31 March) 
			  Sub-divisional area  FPNs issued  Revenue (£)  FPNs issued  Revenue (£) 
			 Antrim 571 19,160 146 5,620 
			 Antrim Road 111 3,640 43 1,320 
			 Armagh 151 5,080 69 2,080 
			 Ballymena 559 19,560 67 3,080 
			 Ballymoney 196 6,000 15 800 
			 Banbridge 677 23,400 126 4,760 
			 Bangor 342 10,880 127 4,460 
			 Carrickfergus 343 11,560 124 4,540 
			 Castlereagh 386 13,040 107 3,980 
			 Coleraine 223 8,040 108 4,200 
			 Cookstown 216 7,520 44 1,680 
			 Donegall Pass 107 3,800 13 540 
			 Downpatrick 259 8,920 66 2,560 
			 Dungannon 445 15,480 44 1,580 
			 Dunmurry 464 17,040 97 3,040 
			 Enniskillen 179 6,280 42 1,420 
			 Grosvenor Road 31 1,000 2 80 
			 Larne 194 6,880 65 1,860 
			 Limavady 200 7,120 52 1,960 
			 Lisburn 389 13,240 76 2,880 
			 Lisnaskea 125 4,120 25 1,120 
			 Lurgan 470 15,600 67 2,000 
			 Magherafelt 242 8,080 41 1,580 
			 Mountpottinger 29 1,000 5 200 
			 Musgrave Street 11 440 11 280 
			 Newcastle 130 4,640 32 1,400 
			 Newry 225 7,880 83 2,880 
			 Newtownabbey 525 18,440 94 2,980 
			 Newtownards 295 10,760 97 3,700 
			 North Queen Street 132 4,640 28 1,160 
			 Omagh 583 19,000 130 4,080 
			 Portadown 403 13,480 57 1,680 
			 Strabane 77 2,360 23 960 
			 Strand Road 111 3,480 37 1,380 
			 Strand town 556 18,800 106 4,120 
			 Tennent Street 71 2,520 13 360 
			 Waterside 281 9,320 63 2,440 
			 Woodbourne 65 2,200 7 280 
			 Unknown 133 4,920 14 480 
			 Total 10,507 359,320 2,366 85,220 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Fixed penalty notices by district command unit for the period 1 April 2001-31 December 2006 
			   2001 (1 April- 31 December)  2002  2003 
			  DCU area  FPNs issue d  Revenue (£)  FPNs issue d  Revenue (£)  FPNs issue d  Revenue (£) 
			 Antrim 362 17,620 252 12,940 699 35,940 
			 Armagh 318 17,860 345 18,420 222 10,680 
			 Ballymena 438 24,460 497 25,380 771 40,260 
			 Ballymoney 164 9,120 159 8,580 259 14,220 
			 Banbridge 776 36,970 483 22,380 258 12,460 
			 Belfast East 272 13,440 151 8,120 400 19,680 
			 Belfast North 128 5,520 62 3,360 372 18,000 
			 Belfast South 19 1,020 94 4,440 507 25,860 
			 Belfast West 13 780 52 2,760 105 4,740 
			 Carrickfergus 192 9,740 182 9,360 267 13,380 
			 Castlereagh 309 14,380 132 6,480 457 23,100 
			 Coleraine 290 14,880 333 16,980 402 19,920 
			 Cookstown 181 8,280 180 9,120 255 13,500 
			 Craigavon 532 27,260 469 24,060 581 29,100 
			 Down 430 22,180 540 27,120 484 23,160 
			 Dungannon 245 12,300 239 11,820 298 14,520 
			 Fermanagh 270 13,480 319 17,340 318 17,400 
			 Foyle 394 20,600 289 13,860 473 23,100 
			 Larne 179 9,880 158 8,280 179 8,580 
			 Limavady 294 15,240 220 11,040 306 15,480 
			 Lisburn 259 12,600 229 11,940 583 29,820 
			 Magherafelt 268 14,180 332 17,280 373 17,580 
			 Moyle — — 15 900 46 2,400 
			 Newry and Mourne 249 12,100 271 12,900 253 13,020 
			 Newtownabbey 209 11,680 244 11,640 545 28,500 
			 Newtownards 339 18,520 425 22,380 372 18,480 
			 North Down 164 8,300 127 6,400 326 16,080 
			 Omagh 285 13,720 270 13,080 376 18,100 
			 Strabane 150 7,560 100 4,320 85 4,260 
			 Unknown 19 400 17 1,020 0 0 
			 Total 7,748 394,070 7,186 363,700 10,572 531,320 
		
	
	
		
			   2004  2005  2006 
			  DCU area  FPNs issued  Revenue (£)  FPNs issued  Revenue (£)  FPNs issued  Revenue (£) 
			 Antrim 722 35,520 1,167 53,580 1615 77,700 
			 Armagh 193 9,060 325 14,820 311 14,700 
			 Ballymena 649 34,260 745 35,940 551 23,940 
			 Ballymoney 217 11,220 200 9,960 166 8,040 
			 Banbridge 279 11,580 401 16,260 536 25,917 
			 Belfast East 981 47,100 1,016 44,280 913 42,900 
			 Belfast North 208 10,320 302 13,920 202 8,400 
			 Belfast South 629 28,860 731 34,740 583 27,060 
			 Belfast West 88 4,200 82 3,360 82 3,240 
			 Carrickfergus 150 7,200 79 3,780 100 4,440 
			 Castlereagh 234 11,400 280 12,960 401 17,340 
			 Coleraine 673 32,940 820 40,680 663 31,980 
			 Cookstown 186 8,520 223 9,300 252 11,520 
			 Craigavon 564 26,280 824 37,080 485 20,820 
			 Down 485 23,700 791 37,860 483 23,340 
			 Dungannon 311 15,660 670 28,920 620 28,200 
			 Fermanagh 216 10,440 354 17,400 641 30,300 
			 Foyle 698 33,360 875 36,660 650 29,280 
			 Larne 169 9,540 221 11,580 146 6,840 
			 Limavady 450 21,360 474 22,320 492 22,800 
			 Lisburn 732 34,080 765 35,220 676 30,240 
			 Magherafelt 626 30,240 618 30,360 475 22,140 
			 Moyle 55 3,060 131 5,460 164 7,320 
			 Newry and Mourne 376 18,480 798 34,920 765 34,020 
			 Newtownabbey 394 19,320 319 16,140 518 26,280 
			 Newtownards 243 13,140 349 16,260 321 14,100 
			 North Down 394 20,400 394 16,920 306 13,680 
			 Omagh 242 9,860 464 21,840 630 27,720 
			 Strabane 120 4,800 215 9,660 205 10,500 
			 Unknown 0 0 0 0 1 60 
			 Total 11,284 545,900 14,633 672,180 13,953 644,817

Zoos

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many zoos there are in Northern Ireland.

Peter Hain: This is now the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Administration.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

British Overseas Territories: Overseas Aid

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what financial aid and assistance each British Overseas Territory received from the UK Government in 2005-06.

Gareth Thomas: The total amount of financial aid and other DFID bilateral assistance to the British overseas territories in 2005-06 is shown in table 1 as follows.
	
		
			  Table 1: DFID bilateral expenditure in British overseas territory 2005-06 
			  £000 
			  Territory  Financial aid  Other DFID assistance  Total 
			 Anguilla 5 890 895 
			 Gibraltar — 2 2 
			 Montserrat 11,209 1,408 12,617 
			 Pitcairn Island 646 1,936 2,582 
			 St. Helena and Dependencies 9,788 3,775 13,563 
			 Turks and Caicos Islands -161 518 357 
			  Note: Negatives represent accounting adjustments, not a net flow to DFID. 
		
	
	British overseas territories may also receive aid from regional programmes and projects funded by DFID.

Departments: Aviation

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many flights to overseas destinations were taken by  (a) civil servants and  (b) Ministers in his Department in each of the last three calendar years; and what the total cost was of such flights.

Gareth Thomas: This information can be provided only at disproportionate cost. Since 1999, the Government have published on an annual basis, a list of all overseas visits by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of £500, as well as the total cost of all ministerial travel overseas. Copies of the lists are available in the Libraries of the House. Information for 2006-07 is currently being compiled and will be published before the summer recess. All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Civil Service Management Code, the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers.

Departments: Dalits

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of his Department's locally employed staff in India are of Dalit origin; and at what level they are employed.

Gareth Thomas: DFID's locally engaged staff in India are recruited directly by our office in New Delhi. Its recruitment policy states that DFID does not discriminate on the basis of sex, caste, ethnicity, religion or other diversity criteria. However, we do not ask applicants or new recruits to provide information about their background because of the sensitivities involved in India, especially with regard to caste.
	We are therefore unable to provide the information requested.

Departments: Foreign Relations

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many Memoranda of Understanding are in force as a result of agreements with foreign governments entered into by Ministers in his Department; and what executive actions each entails.

Gareth Thomas: Records of Memoranda of Understanding are not held centrally, either in DFID or across Whitehall, providing the information required would incur disproportionate costs.

Departments: Marketing

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which advertising and marketing campaigns were run by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies in each of the last five years; which external agencies were involved; and what the cost was of each campaign.

Gareth Thomas: Spending on advertising in print media for staff recruitment and procurement purposes was as follows:
	
		
			   Spend (£) 
			 2002 914,571 
			 2003 849,196 
			 2004 700,077 
			 2005 397,776 
			 2006 527,868 
		
	
	Expenditure on marketing and promotional campaigns since January 2002 is listed as follows. In all cases, this includes design and production of materials, and other promotional services. It is not possible to disaggregate advertising direct spend except at disproportionate cost. All the following costs are inclusive of VAT.
	 Developments Magazine and Rough Guide Campaign (2005)
	To promote Developments Magazine and The Rough Guide to a Better World
	Total: £3,642
	 Trade Matters Campaign (late 2005-early 2006)
	To raise awareness of the role of trade in fighting world poverty and promote the availability of a new free publication—Trade Matters.
	Total: £26,176
	 Developments Magazine Campaign (2006)
	To increase the number of subscribers to the Department's free magazine—Developments.
	Total: £12,934
	 Third White Paper on International Development (2006)
	To raise awareness of the UK Government's action plan for working with overseas and international partners to reduce world poverty over the next five years.
	Total: £125,000
	 G8 Gleneagles—One year on (2006)
	To report progress on delivering the commitments proposed at the G8 summit. Newspaper supplement in  The Observer, adverts for the supplement in  The Guardian, and content of the supplement placed on a Guardian Unlimited microsite.
	Total: £62,275
	DFID has not used advertising agencies in the last five years. DFID has used the Central Office of Information (COI) to source services for promotional campaigns. It is not possible to disaggregate these costs from design and production of materials, and other promotional services, without incurring disproportionate costs.
	DFID places recruitment and procurement advertisements in print media using Barkers Advertising and Marketing Agency. There is no direct cost to DFID for their services.
	DFID has no Executive agencies.

Departments: Public Participation

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many public consultations his Department undertook in the last 12 months; and what the cost was of each consultation.

Gareth Thomas: Over the 12 months up to end-May 2007, DFID launched 15 formal public consultations on its public website in order to inform the Department's policy development.
	Information on the cost of each consultation and the total cost of all consultations, could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The consultations launched were:
	DFID health strategy
	Country Strategy for DFID Sierra Leone
	DFID Ethiopia Country Assistance Plan
	DFID Tanzania Country Assistance Plan
	DFID Pakistan Country Assistance Plan
	Updating "Taking Action—the UK's strategy for tackling AIDS in the developing world"
	DFID's work in Latin America 2008 to 2011
	DFID Regional Assistance Plan for the Caribbean
	Linking Scheme—investing in raising the levels of awareness about global issues among the UK public
	DFID and Volunteering
	Equality for Disabled People (this was a cross-Whitehall consultation)
	DFID Vietnam Country Assistance Plan
	DFID Ghana Country Assistance Plan
	DFID India Country Assistance Plan
	Preventing Violent Conflict Policy Paper

Departments: Surveys

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many staff surveys his Department undertook in the last 12 months; and at what total cost.

Gareth Thomas: DFID conducted one staff survey in the last 12 months which required external assistance. This was to gather evidence for independent assessors to measure our performance against the Investors in People standard, and cost £7,000.
	During the same period, we also carried out our annual survey to assess staff perceptions of how they are managed. It covered issues such as leadership, communication, training and opportunities for development, workloads, and how valued staff feel. This, plus a small number of other internal surveys, were devised, conducted and analysed internally by our own staff at no additional cost. It is not possible to calculate the staff time cost associated with those exercises.

Developing Countries: Drugs

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to reduce the supply of fake or ineffective drugs in the developing world.

Gareth Thomas: DFID supports the World Health Organisation (WHO), through its core funding, in its efforts to help developing countries strengthen their pharmaceutical legislation, good manufacturing practices, national drug regulatory capacity and performance. The WHO also promotes information exchange among drug regulatory authorities to help combat drug counterfeiters.
	DFID is working with a wide range of partners, including the WHO, developing country governments, pharmaceutical companies and non-governmental organisations, on the development of the Medicines Transparency Alliance (MeTA).
	MeTA seeks to increase transparency over vital information on the price, quality and availability of essential medicines in developing countries to help tackle high prices, challenge corruption and counterfeiting, and address inefficiency. Up to a third of medicines on the market in developing countries are fakes.
	MeTA seeks to change this by securing high level political commitment to increase transparency and accountability over medicine procurement and supply in participating countries. MeTA also seeks to bring the right people around the table—Government Departments, civil society organisations, companies and others—to agree ways of disclosing information on the price, the quality and the availability of essential medicines into the public arena, with the aim of ultimately reducing the cost, improving the quality and increasing the availability of medicines.
	DFID has for example provided support to Nigeria's National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control which has taken an active lead in reducing counterfeit drugs throughout the country.

Ethiopia: Health Services

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will take steps to facilitate the provision of healthcare free at the point of access in  (a) Ethiopia and  (b) Liberia.

Hilary Benn: DFID is committed to helping countries that want to remove charges at the point of delivery. In the recent DFID White Paper we made a commitment to help partner governments abolish user fees for basic health services and help them tackle other barriers to access, including discrimination against women.
	In 2003, as part of transition arrangements, user fees for health services in Liberia were suspended. At the end of the transition period on 31 March 2006, the President accepted the Minister of Health's recommendation that healthcare should continue to be free. We support this policy, although it is essential that it is implemented in the context of wider health sector reform, including financing, human resources, institutions, and procurement/supply chains.
	DFID has agreed to extend its support to Save the Children UK in Liberia which is playing a leading role in assisting the Government with the development of pro poor policies and health financing. DFID will jointly fund the placement of an SCF-UK Technical Director for Health to work specifically on co-ordination, policy and advocacy, including on access to free healthcare.
	User fees are one of several constraints to access to health care in Ethiopia, others being distance to health facilities and availability of drugs. Since more than one in five Ethiopians lives more than 10 km (or two hours walk) from a health care facility, Ethiopia's Health Sector Development Plan focuses on expanding access to primary health care services, especially preventive services, most of which are provided free. DFID helps to fund the delivery of these services through its contributions to the Protection of Basic Services grant, which supports recurrent costs of health and other services at local level and procurement of essential commodities such as vaccines, malaria drugs, bednets and contraceptives.

Ethiopia: Health Services

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support his Department provided to health systems in  (a) Liberia and  (b) Ethiopia in each of the last five years.

Hilary Benn: As outlined in the new DFID health strategy "Working together for Better health", assisting countries to strengthen their health services is a UK priority.
	In Ethiopia, DFID provided direct budget support to the Government in support of its poverty reduction strategy from January 2003 to March 2005. This included £2.9 million for strengthening of the national health system and delivery of health care. Between June 2006 and end March 2007, DFID provided a grant of £8.7 million for the Protection of Basic Services, to help fund the recurrent costs of delivering basic health care services and the procurement of key commodities including vaccines, malaria drugs, bednets and contraceptives. Since 2005, DFID has committed a total of £145,000 to a multi-donor fund to cover costs of technical assistance, studies, consultations and meetings that are crucial to the implementation of Ethiopia's Health Sector Development Programme.
	In Liberia DFID has been providing humanitarian support for health services since 2003 through Save the Children, Merlin and other NGOs. They have focused on providing basic services, working closely with Country Health Teams. These Teams will take on increasing responsibility for health service management and delivery through training and carrying out joint supervision of health facilities. DFID's support to NGOs in Liberia is structured around supporting public healthcare systems to be delivered free to the patient. As well as building capacity to strengthen systems, the support ensures payment of staff and provision of drugs.
	DFID will provide up to £8 million over the next two years for building and strengthening systems at the central level. This includes support to the Ministry of Health to establish strong financial management and contributing to a proposed multi-donor fund to support Liberia to strengthen its health systems under its National Health Plan. DFID will continue to support NGOs to cover critical gaps in the provision of healthcare with increasing focus on transfer of leadership to the Government.
	In Liberia, DFID bilateral expenditure on health in 2002-03 to 2006-07 was:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2002-03 (1)0.0 
			 2003-04 0.6 
			 2004-05 0.8 
			 2005-06 1.5 
			 2006-07 (2)1.7 
			 (1 )Actual spend of £38,000 (2) Provisional 
		
	
	This is expected to increase to around £3-£4 million for 2007-08 and 2008-09.

Iraq: Reconstruction

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  how much the Government budgeted to spend on the reconstruction of Iraq;
	(2)  how much the Government have spent on rebuilding the infrastructure in Iraq since the fall of Saddam.

Hilary Benn: Since March 2003, the UK Government have budgeted £744 million for the reconstruction and development of Iraq. Our contribution will help the Iraqi Government, at provincial and national level, to plan and deliver investment in basic services (electricity, hospitals, etc.), improve oil production, generate jobs and manage its own resources more effectively.
	DFID has committed over £100 million to infrastructure projects in Iraq, and disbursed over £80 million so far. Our work on improving power and water supply has helped create employment for several thousand Iraqis in repairing some of southern Iraq's key infrastructure.
	DFID power projects have added or secured 350 MW of electricity to the Iraqi national grid, and will be adding or securing a further 120 MW over the next six months. This has been achieved by repairing damaged electricity transmission and distribution networks, including transmission lines from Al-Hartha power station to Basra city (securing electricity supplies for 1.5 million residents), and the Al-Hartha power station chimney (securing electricity supplies for 340,000 people).
	By late 2007 DF1D will have improved access to water for one million people. We have replaced 200 kilometres of water mains, repaired over 5,000 leaks, cleared out 7,000 septic tanks and cleared over 40 kilometres of drains. We have refurbished a reverse osmosis unit to supply potable water to about 500,000 people, improved water supply to 60,000 people in Al Amtahiyah, constructed a water training centre in Basra to increase the skills of Iraqi engineers in water treatment and leakage repair, and provided technical advice for a major sewage installation in Al Amarah, providing up to half the city's population with access to a piped system and replacing open sewage channels.

Pakistan: Overseas Aid

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the impact of UK aid to Pakistan on levels of  (a) anti-British extremism,  (b) violations of religious freedom and  (c) freedom of speech in Pakistan.

Gareth Thomas: DFID is in the process of preparing a new Country Assistance Plan for Pakistan for 2008 to 2012. As part of that preparation, we have commissioned an independent evaluation of DFID's impact on the three strategic outcome areas of the 2005 Country Assistance Plan: (1) increased incomes for the poor; (2) improved delivery of education, health and population services to the poor; and (3) greater accountability of the state to its citizens. We aim to publish this evaluation by the summer.
	We have also just completed consultations within Pakistan, and with the Pakistan Diaspora, on what our future priorities should be. The overwhelming sense from these consultations was that DFID's programme in Pakistan has been making an impact, and that we should look to increase our efforts in support of Pakistan's poverty reduction strategies and plans.
	DFID's work, especially in the aftermath of the 2005 earthquake, has won the UK many friends in Pakistan and has contributed to strengthening the ties between our two countries. This was illustrated in November last year when my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister signed a 10 year Development Partnership Arrangement (DPA) with Pakistan's Prime Minister, Shaukat Aziz. The DPA is based on a shared commitment to pursuing poverty reduction objectives, respecting the human rights obligations entered into, and improving financial management and accountability in Pakistan.

Pakistan: Overseas Aid

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid his Department gave to Pakistan in each of the last five years; and what planned expenditure is for the next three years.

Gareth Thomas: The total DFID bilateral expenditure to Pakistan in each of the last five financial years is set out in table 1 following, alongside projections for 2007-08.
	
		
			  Table 1: DFID bilateral expenditure to Pakistan 
			   Expenditure  (£000) 
			 2002-03 38,314 
			 2003-04 66,240 
			 2004-05 31,377 
			 2005-06 97,413 
			 2006-07 (1)101,118 
			 2007-08 (2)101,000 
			 (1) Provisional. (2) Projection. 
		
	
	Projections beyond 2007-08 will not be available until the Comprehensive Spending Review is concluded later this year.
	UK funding to multilateral institutions cannot be directly attributed to any country; however table 2 contains estimates of the UK's imputed shares of multilateral aid to Pakistan. These estimates are based on the UK's funding of each multilateral institution and each multilateral's distribution of aid to Pakistan. They are only available on a calendar year basis.
	
		
			  Table 2: imputed UK share of multilateral aid to Pakistan for 2001 - 05 
			   Imputed aid  (£000) 
			 2002 28,343 
			 2003 34,391 
			 2004 27,729 
			 2005 43,968 
			  Note: The list of multilateral organisations used in the production of these data is not exhaustive; the multilaterals analysed are those that provide the Development Assistance Committee with detailed information about their distribution of funds to Pakistan and to whom DFID provided funds over the period. 
		
	
	Data for 2006 are not yet available.

Palestinians: Human Rights

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will support the deployment of a human rights monitoring mechanism across Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Hilary Benn: Any third party, such as a human rights observation force, would only be able to achieve its goals with the full support of the Government of Israel (GoI) and the Palestinian Authority. Such support is unlikely in the current climate.

Thailand: Overseas Aid

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much UK-funded support has been made available to aid groups in Thailand assisting those displaced from their homes in Burma in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: Of those aid groups based in Thailand, DFID provides £1.8 million (over three years—2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08) to the Thailand-Burma Border Consortium for the provision of food, shelter, cooking fuel and non-food items for the 166,000 refugees in the nine camps on the Thai-Burma border, and for their support to internally displaced people, particularly those in hiding in areas of ongoing conflict. We provide an approximately equivalent amount of funding to the Thailand-Burma Border Consortium's refugee work through our contributions to aid provided by the European Union.
	DFID acknowledges the importance and value of cross-border aid, especially in supporting many of the 100,000 internally displaced people living in conflict areas in eastern Burma. We also acknowledge the value and importance of work by community based groups inside the country, who are able to reach many of the 400,000 internally displaced people living in Government controlled areas, mixed administration areas (where both ethnic armed groups and the Burmese army are present) and cease-fire areas. We believe strongly that the two mechanisms should be seen as complementary to each other—not as competitors.
	We have removed the restriction on the use of UK funds provided to Thailand-based non-Governmental organisations for cross-border assistance. But while several Governments already fund cross-border work, the UK is the only bilateral donor currently supporting community-based groups reaching internally displaced people from inside Burma. Our judgment is that the best use for our additional money is to support community based organisations working inside Burma, which is why we also provide assistance to internally displaced people through community-based groups inside Burma (£400,000 in 2007-08) to provide emergency relief, health and education programmes in eastern Burma.

UN

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the creation of One UN teams in the developing world.

Gareth Thomas: In 2006, the UN Secretary-General set up a High Level Panel (HLP) on UN System-wide Coherence. The Panel, with the Chancellor's participation, reported in November 2006 with recommendations to improve the UN's position and response to new global development challenges, and to achieve greater efficiency and co-ordination. This included the establishment of 'One UN' pilots at country level. The pilots are testing an approach based on one integrated UN programme with one consolidated budget, managed by one UN leader (the Resident Co-ordinator), where appropriate housed in one UN location. The aim is to create a genuinely united nations at country level, operating in partnership with, and responding directly to the needs of developing countries in achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
	'One UN' is currently being piloted in eight countries: Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Pakistan, Vietnam (all priorities for the UK), Cape Verde, Uruguay and Albania. The HLP recommended that the programme expand to up to 40 countries by 2010. DFID is working closely with country offices, governments, and the UN system to ensure that 'One UN' is successful. Progress is already being made in aligning the UN with national priorities, in greater efficiency and in taking the necessary change management steps. DFID is working closely with partners and the UN system to ensure robust monitoring and evaluation processes are in place, so that lessons learned and best practice are fully utilised in future 'One UN' countries.

Zimbabwe: Health Services

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will take steps to facilitate the provision of healthcare free at the point of access in  (a) Zimbabwe and  (b) Rwanda.

Hilary Benn: DFID is committed to helping countries that want to remove charges at the point of delivery. DFID made a commitment in the recent White Paper to help partner governments abolish user fees for basic health services and help them tackle other barriers to access, including discrimination against women.
	In Rwanda, the Government and major aid donors are conscious that financial barriers are inhibiting poor people from accessing health services. DFID is therefore working closely with the Government to investigate how DFID aid and technical assistance can best be provided to reduce the level of out-of-pocket expenditures on health services. In particular, DFID is looking at various options to specifically address the needs of the very poor that are most adversely affected by present patient charges.
	In Zimbabwe, access to health services is rapidly decreasing as the economy contracts, inflation surpasses 4500 per cent. government capacity to maintain services diminishes and travel for most people becomes harder. User fees are currently charged for most health services other than preventive care to children under five and HIV treatment services. Where commodities have been donated, the Ministry of Health policy is that these should not be sold through fees but passed on for free. We are all aware of the situation in Zimbabwe which prevents a development partnership between DFID and the Zimbabwean government. However, DFID engages whenever the opportunity arises to discuss the adverse effects of user fees. DFID provides technical assistance and financial support for research in order to strengthen the evidence base and support the policy process.

Zimbabwe: Health Services

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support his Department provided to health systems in  (a) Zimbabwe and  (b) Rwanda in each of the last five years.

Hilary Benn: DFID suspended all development assistance to the Government of Zimbabwe in 2002.
	Since then, DFID Zimbabwe has provided over £63 million through NGOs to ensure the poorest people continue to access essential health services. Support has been provided for reduction in preventable deaths (vaccination programmes, malaria prevention); mother and child services (including antenatal care, maternity services, prevention of mother to child transmission and emergency obstetric care); sexual and reproductive health (including family planning services, treatment for STIs); and HIV/AIDS (including prevention and treatment, behaviour change and care for orphans).
	The total assistance in each of the past five years was:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2002-03 5.5 
			 2003-04 10.4 
			 2004-05 14.6 
			 2005-06 12.9 
			 2006-07 19.6 
		
	
	In Rwanda the majority of DFID current spending is through budget support. DFID bilateral expenditure on health in Rwanda from 2002-03 to 2006-07 was:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2002-03 2.3 
			 2003-04 2.0 
			 2004-05 4.0 
			 2005-06 7.1 
			 2006-07 (1)1.6 
			 (1 )Provisional 
		
	
	This includes a notional proportion of DFID's general budget support.

Zimbabwe: Overseas Aid

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what financial aid and assistance Zimbabwe received from his Department in 2005-06.

Hilary Benn: DFID bilateral aid to Zimbabwe in the fiscal year 2005-06 was £34.1 million of which £1.6 million was in the form of financial aid. The UK is one of the largest bilateral donors of humanitarian support to Zimbabwe, supporting over 1.5 million of the poorest people. Our funding prioritises HIV/AIDS, food insecurity and supporting orphans and vulnerable children. Our current programmes will help ensure that an additional 30,000 people receive anti-retroviral treatment, will provide health care for around 350,000 children, promote food security in both urban and rural areas and assist extremely vulnerable displaced people. The UK does not give direct funding to the Government of Zimbabwe. All DFID's bilateral funding is channelled through NGOs and UN agencies, much of it programmed jointly with other donors.
	The UK contributions to multilateral aid to Zimbabwe (United Nations, European Commission, World Bank and others) totalled £5.6 million in 2004 which is the last year for which data are available.
	The full breakdown of bilateral aid is published in Table 12.1 of Statistics on International Development 2001-02 to 2005-06, a copy of which is available in the Library.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

London Olympics

Meg Hillier: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent meetings she has had on the Olympics legacy in east London.

Tessa Jowell: I have had many such meetings, including with the mayors or leaders of the five host boroughs last Tuesday, and Ken Livingstone last Thursday. One of the main legacies of the 2012 Games will be to transform the heart of East London with new homes, new public transport, new employment and business opportunities and new spaces to work, live and play in.

London Olympics

Bob Blizzard: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether she has made an estimate of the amount of revenue that the new logo will attract for the hosting of the Olympic Games in 2012.

Richard Caborn: The new London 2012 brand, of which the logo is one element, will help the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) to raise the £2 billion they need to host and stage the games. Sponsors will buy rights to the brand and it will underpin LOCOG's merchandising strategy. LOCOG believe that the brand will make an effective and decisive contribution to the full £2 billion budget.

London Olympics

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress is being made to ensure that the poorest and most disadvantaged areas of London benefit from the economic legacy of the 2012 London Olympics.

Tessa Jowell: A significant amount of activity is already under way to help local people secure jobs, to help local businesses to compete successfully for Olympic-related contracts and to regenerate East London—one of the most deprived parts of the capital. Jobcentre Plus has already placed 110 local people into jobs on the Olympic site; 3,000 businesses have already registered for information about Olympic-related contract opportunities; and 11 pre-volunteer programme pilots are already giving 450 Londoners the opportunity to develop skills through volunteering. These objectives were central to our bid for the games and are ones which we are wholly committed to achieving.

London Olympics

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will investigate the capacity constraints and legacy effects of holding the equestrian events for the 2012 Olympics in Greenwich park.

Richard Caborn: The London Organising Committee has appointed a course designer, and work is under way to assess the overlay plan for the park, including looking at optimisation of space. The venue was endorsed by the International Federation, the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) which also had a delegation visit the site earlier this year.
	Work is ongoing with all stakeholders to ensure the Olympic events do not have a detrimental effect on this unique world heritage site, and that opportunities are maximised to showcase the site and the sport of equestrianism to the world.

BBC Charter

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions she has had with the BBC on its charter, with particular reference to regional news coverage.

Shaun Woodward: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has not had any recent discussions with the BBC about its charter.
	The BBC agreement places requirements on the BBC relating to the amount of time given to regional news coverage and its scheduling. The BBC Trust is responsible for ensuring these requirements are met.

Channel 4

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to review the financial arrangements for Channel 4 television.

Shaun Woodward: Following Ofcom's report on the funding of Channel 4 the Government have announced their intention to use part of the licence fee to fund some of Channel 4's digital switchover costs and to bring forward our review of public service broadcasting funding.

Tote Privatisation

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on progress on selling the Tote.

Richard Caborn: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Lancaster and Wyre (Mr. Wallace).

Tote Privatisation

Richard Ottaway: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the future of the Tote.

Richard Caborn: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Lancaster and Wyre (Mr. Wallace).

Tourism

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to strengthen Government support for seaside and coastal tourism.

Shaun Woodward: DCMS continues to provide VisitBritain with funding of around £50 million a year to promote Britain overseas and England to the domestic market. The attractions of the coast have been prominent, for example, in its recent "Family Fun" and "English Rose" campaigns.
	Councils and businesses on the coast are also responsible for the product they offer, and they have taken great strides to change their image. It is important that seaside resorts continue to use the national quality schemes for accommodation and attractions developed by VisitBritain.

Museums and Galleries: Visitor Numbers

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what additional measures she has considered to encourage more visitors to the national museums and galleries; and if she will make a statement.

David Lammy: Free admission has ensured that more people than ever have access to the national collections. The number of visits to national museums and galleries has risen from 24 million in 1997-98 to 39 million last year.
	What we need to do now, and have already been encouraging through our performance targets, is to increase participation from under-represented groups.

Regional Casinos: Energy Efficiency

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will take steps to ensure that new regional casinos make use of energy efficient light bulbs.

Richard Caborn: Any new casino development will be required to comply with relevant planning and building requirements, including relevant requirements designed to protect the environment and promote energy saving.

Arts: National Lottery

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much National Lottery arts funding  (a) Northern Ireland,  (b) Scotland,  (c) Wales and  (d) England received per capita in each of the last five years.

Richard Caborn: The series of tables show the per capita figures for the last five financial years for Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England where the good cause is recorded as Arts. The search is location specific. That is the tables include only grants that are specific to location in the region and exclude grants that might have gone to addresses in the region, but are not otherwise related to it.
	The value of grants is taken from the Lottery grants database which uses information supplied by the Lottery distributors. The population figures used are from the mid 2005 estimates of the Office for National Statistics.
	
		
			  Northern Ireland (population 1,724,400) 
			  Year (financial)  Value of grants (£)  Per capita (£ and pence) rounded to nearest pence 
			 2006-07 6,356,403.00 3.69 
			 2005-06 7,705,824.00 4.47 
			 2004-05 13,084,472.00 7.59 
			 2003-04 9,227,349.00 5.35 
			 2002-03 8,179,712.00 4.75 
		
	
	
		
			  Scotland (population 5,094,800) 
			  Year (financial)  Value of grants  (£)  Per capita (£ and pence) rounded to nearest pence 
			 2006-07 7,932,977.00 1.56 
			 2005-06 3,292,654.00 0.65 
			 2004-05 14,325,425.00 2.81 
			 2003-04 14,175,818.00 2.78 
			 2002-03 22,557,933.00 4.43 
		
	
	
		
			  Wales (population 2,958,600) 
			  Year (financial)  Value of grants  (£)  Per capita (£ and pence) rounded to nearest pence 
			 2006-07 9,152,897.00 3.09 
			 2005-06 9,417,341.00 3.18 
			 2004-05 13,030,050.00 4.40 
			 2003-04 10,610,305.00 3.59 
			 2002-03 8,054,723.00 2.72 
		
	
	
		
			  England (population 50,431,700) 
			  Year (financial)  Value of grants (£)  Per capita (£ and pence) rounded to nearest pence 
			 2006-07 19,584,802.00 0.39 
			 2005-06 3,176,531.00 0.06 
			 2004-05 25,270,229 0.50 
			 2003-04 111,049,139.00 2.20 
			 2002-03 70,285,451.00 1.39 
		
	
	The Department's Lottery grant database is searchable at www.lottery.culture.gov.uk and uses information supplied by the Lottery distributors.

Arts: West Bromwich

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 13 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1038W, on the Public Arts Centre in West Bromwich, East constituency, what recent discussions the Minister for Culture has held on the Public Arts Centre; and if she will make a statement.

David Lammy: I have not had any recent discussions on the Public Arts Centre in West Bromwich, East constituency.

British Film Institute

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the future of the British Film Institute.

Shaun Woodward: The British Film Institute (BFI) play a vital role to the Film industry through their care for the BFI National Archive and Collections and their encouragement of knowledge and participation in film in the UK. DCMS works closely with the BFI and UK Film Council to ensure this work can be continued and developed in the future.

British Film Institute: Finance

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what funding was provided to the British Film Institute in each of the last 10 years; and what the projected funding allocation is for 2007-08.

Shaun Woodward: Funding from Government for the British Film Institute, directed through the UK Film Council since its establishment in 2000, is in the following table.
	
		
			  Financial year  Core funding (£ million)  Additional grant  Total grant (£ million) 
			 1998-99 16 0 16 
			 1999-2000 16 0 16 
			 2000-01 16 £450,000 advance against 2001-02 16.45 
			 2001-02 14.5 £0.45 million advanced in 2000-01 (1)14.05 
			 2002-03 14.5 0 14.5 
			 2003-04 14.5 One-off award of £200,000 to fund BFI's strategic review 14.7 
			 2004-05 16 £0.8 million one-off award for modernisation 16.8 
			 2005-06 16 £2 million one-off capital award for the Southbank and £1 million one-off award for modernisation 19 
			 2006-07 16 £2.5 million one-off capital award for the Southbank 18.5 
			 2007-08 16 0 16 
			 (1) Reduction due to the transfer of functions to the UK Film Council and the advance of grant in 2000-01

British Grand Prix

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has held on the future of Formula One motor racing at the Silverstone circuit in Northamptonshire, with particular reference to its future after 2009; what steps she is taking to support the British motor racing industry; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: The Government maintains its desire for a British Grand Prix at Silverstone but our role remains one of dialogue and facilitation.
	I have attended a number of meetings to discuss the future of Formula One Grand Prix racing at Silverstone. The most recent meeting was on 20 March with the British Racing Drivers Club (BRDC) to discuss their plans for redevelopment of the Silverstone circuit and discussions are ongoing.
	The Government support British Motorsport through Motorsport Development UK (MDUK) who have invested over £12 million to help maintain and strengthen the UK's dominant position in world Motorsport.

Ceramics

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to reclassify the ceramics industry as a creative industry; and if she will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: The creative industries, as defined in the 1998 and 2001 Mapping Documents, are those which have their origin in individual creativity, skill and talent. This definition includes design and crafts, which cuts across many sectors, including ceramics, and the creative elements of them. The Creative Economy Programme is considering the broad framework of support for the creative industries and through that work there is a broad recognition that creativity itself is a vital component of sectors such as ceramics, where I am aware that there are many examples of companies achieving renewed success through their innovation and willingness to reinvent themselves.

Cricket: Entry Clearances

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what advice she gave to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the issuing of a visa to the Chairman of the Zimbabwean Cricket Union Peter Chingoka to attend the International Cricket Council conference at Lords between 24 and 29 June.

Richard Caborn: The Government do not comment on individual visa application cases.

Cricket: Entry Clearances

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions  (a) she and  (b) her officials had with the England and Wales Cricket Board on the granting of a visa to Peter Chingoka to attend the International Cricket Council conference at Lords between 25 June and 29 June.

Richard Caborn: My officials and I have discussed the International Cricket Conference at Lords in June with the England and Wales Cricket Board. However, the Government do not comment on individual visa applications cases.

Cultural Heritage: Iraq

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what funds were allocated to the protection of Iraq's heritage in each of the last four years.

Tessa Jowell: holding answer 19 June 2007
	My Department supports international activity by bodies such as the National Museums and Galleries, the British Library and English Heritage through their annual grant in aid. Specific sums are not ring-fenced on a country by country basis, as operational decisions on priorities are best taken by the professionals in each institution in the light of changing circumstances.
	In the case of Iraq, I would highlight the work of the British Museum, which has:
	provided expertise and training on conservation and site management;
	sent two archaeologists to Iraq who were instrumental in co-ordinating the quick supply of a wide range of desperately needed materials and equipment to the Baghdad Museum; and
	arranged and managed (with additional funding of £15,000 from the DCMS) a project that allowed three interns coming from the Iraqi Ministry of Culture to learn the skills necessary for the future management of the Babylon archaeological site.
	In addition to the work of the British Museum, the British Library has also provided expertise and support. It was able to work with the Iraq National Library and Archive, supplying surrogate material to replace that which was lost during the conflict.

Culture: Anniversaries

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what criteria her Department applies before deciding whether or not to celebrate a cultural anniversary.

David Lammy: holding answer 20 June 2007
	None. There are a plethora of cultural anniversaries every year, marking a broad spectrum of people, events and occasions. My Department does not take unilateral decisions on whether or not to celebrate any of them.

Departments: Aviation

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many flights to overseas destinations were taken by  (a) civil servants and  (b) Ministers in her Department in each of the last three calendar years; and what the total cost of such flights was.

David Lammy: Departmental expenditure for overseas travel and subsistence by officials is shown in the table.
	Regarding Ministers' visits overseas, since 1999 the Government have published, on an annual basis, a list of all overseas visits by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of £500, as well as the total cost of all ministerial travel overseas. Copies of the lists are available in the Libraries of the House. Information for 2006-07 is currently being compiled and will be published before the summer recess. All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Civil Service Management Code, the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers.
	
		
			  Financial year  Overseas travel and subsistence costs by officials (£) 
			 2006-07(1) 291,427.90 
			 2005-06 287,546.56 
			 2004-05 279,710.59 
			 (1 )Subject to finalisation of the annual resource accounts.

Departments: Credit Cards

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was spent by staff in her Department via departmental  (a) credit,  (b) procurement and  (c) fuel cards in each of the last three years.

David Lammy: The Department spent the following amounts on  (a) credit cards,  (b) procurement cards and  (c) fuel cards in the last three financial years:
	
		
			  £ 
			   (a)  Credit cards  (b)  Procurement cards  (c)  Fuel cards 
			 2004-05 0 108,426 0 
			 2005-06 0 174,642 0 
			 2006-07 0 398,718 0

Departments: Energy

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many energy saving light bulbs were purchased by her Department for use on the departmental estate in  (a) 2005 and  (b) 2006.

David Lammy: The Department did not purchase any energy saving light bulbs during these periods.
	We are currently refurbishing our offices at 2-4 Cockspur Street and are installing T16 energy efficient light bulbs.

Departments: Foreign Relations

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many Memoranda of Understanding are in force as a result of agreements with foreign Governments entered into by Ministers in her Department; and what executive actions each entails.

David Lammy: There are three Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) signed by DCMS Ministers relating to sport:
	(i) UK-Saudi Arabia, December 1987;
	(ii) UK-South Africa, February 2005;
	(iii) UK-Brazil, September 2006.
	These MoUs have been put into operation by UK Sport (i and ii) and the British Council (iii).
	There is one MoU between the UK and Italy on Digital Television, signed by the Secretary of State in 2004. An exchange of information between the UK and Italy is planned; the form of this is being discussed.

Departments: Home Working

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people in her Department have been allowed to work from home for part of the week in the last year; and if she will make a statement on her Department's policy on home working.

David Lammy: DCMS has 16 members of staff currently working from home on a regular basis. In DCMS there is an arrangement where staff work part of their hours from home. At present we are only able to support a limited number of formal home-working arrangements. However, we also support and encourage the more informal home-working arrangements in which staff may have agreed to work from home on an occasional ad-hoc basis.

Departments: Marketing

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which advertising and marketing campaigns were run by  (a) her Department and  (b) its agencies in each of the last five years; which external agencies were involved; and what the cost was of each campaign.

David Lammy: The information requested is as follows.
	 (a) Department
	(i) The DCMS spent £163,200 on the Licensing Act campaign in 2005. The external agency involved was COI.
	(ii) There was a smaller amount of advertising and marketing activity around the BBC Charter Review.
	
		
			  Campaign  Cost (£)  Agency 
			 Licensing Act Campaign (2005-06) 163,200 COI 
			 BBC Charter (2004-05) 37,085 COI 
			 BBC Charter (2003-04) 20,987 COI 
		
	
	 (b) Agencies
	The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Northern Ireland

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will place in the Library a copy of the concordat governing the relationship between her Department and the Northern Ireland administration.

David Lammy: My Department does not currently have a Concordat with the Northern Ireland Executive but will work with colleagues in the Devolved Administration in Northern Ireland to develop one. A copy will be laid in the House when this has been done.

Departments: Older Workers

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what percentage of staff in her Department were over 60 years of age in each of the last three years.

David Lammy: The information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  As at 1 April:  Percentage of staff over 60 years of age 
			 2005 1.7 
			 2006 1.9 
			 2007 2

Departments: Older Workers

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people aged  (a) over 55 years of age and  (b) over 60 years of age have been recruited by her Department in each of the last three years; and what percentage in each case this is of the number of new recruits in each year.

David Lammy: In the last three years the Department recruited one person over the age of 55 which represented 7 per cent. of those recruited in that year. No staff were recruited over the age of 60.

Departments: Public Participation

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many public consultations her Department undertook in the last 12 months; and what the cost was of each consultation.

David Lammy: Over the 12 months to end May 2007, my Department launched 36 formal public consultations in order to inform the Department's policy development. Information on the cost of each consultation and the total cost of all consultations, could be provided only at disproportionate cost. All consultations are available on the departmental website:
	www.culture.gov.uk <http://www.culture.gov.uk>

Departments: Reviews

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for East Devon (Mr. Swire) of 11 June 2007,  Official Report, columns 738-39W, on art works, which recommendations from the Goodison report have been addressed by  (a) her Department and  (b) each other Department; and what steps have been taken in respect of each recommendation that has been addressed.

David Lammy: I am placing in the House Libraries a table setting out the actions taken by DCMS and others to address the recommendations of Sir Nicholas Goodison's report.

Departments: Surveys

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many staff surveys her Department undertook in the last 12 months; and at what total cost.

David Lammy: DCMS is in the process of undertaking a staff opinion survey. They take place biennially and the last one was in 2005. The cost of this year's survey is £21,540.

Departments: Travel Agents

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much her Department and its agencies paid in travel agencies' fees in each year since 1997.

David Lammy: The following table shows the Department's expenditure on travel agencies' fees since July 2000. Data prior to July 2000 are no longer available and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The increase since 2002 reflects reductions in the commission the airline industry paid to travel agents for booking flights, and the consequent reduction in the levels of rebates travel agents pass on to clients. Travel agents' fees now reflect the full cost of the travel management contract.
	The Department has one Executive agency, the Royal Parks, which has not incurred any expenditure on travel agencies' fees.
	
		
			  Financial year  DCMS (£) 
			 2006-07(1) 23,821.00 
			 2005-06 26,730.00 
			 2004-05 18,720.00 
			 2003-04 14,894.48 
			 2002-03 (July 2002-March 2003) 11,751.61 
			 July 2000-June 2002 5,295.49 
			 (1) Subject to the finalisation of the resource accounts.

English Sports Council: West Midlands

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what funding was provided to Sports England West Midlands in each of the last five years; and what the projected funding allocation is for the 2008-09 financial year.

Richard Caborn: The following table provides details of funding provided to Sport England West Midlands in each of the last five years;
	
		
			  £ 
			  Sport England West Midlands  Exchequer  Lottery 
			 2003-04 351,965 500,000 
			 2004-05 239,927 12,440,000 
			 2005-06 1,474,522 5,899,310 
			 2006-07 1,360,037 6,253,750 
			 2007-08 1,429,571 13,107,637 
			 Total 4,856,022 38,200,697 
		
	
	The projected funding for 2008-09 financial year will not be known until the outcome of the 2007 comprehensive spending review.

International Council on Monuments and Sites

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the UK members of the International Council on Monuments and Sites; and by whom each was  (a) nominated and  (b) appointed.

David Lammy: Membership of ICOMOS-UK is open to anyone involved or interested in cultural heritage conservation. All members of ICOMOS-UK are automatically members of ICOMOS.
	ICOMOS is an international, non-governmental membership organisation, which is self-governing and selects members for its own committees. There are no UK members on the Executive Committee of ICOMOS.

International Council on Monuments and Sites: Finance

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the grants to the International Council on Monuments and Sites in each of the last five years.

David Lammy: The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) does not receive grants through my Department. However, grants have been provided to its UK National Committee, ICOMOS-UK:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2002-03 38,000 
			 2003-04 (1)45,000 
			 (1) Of which £4,000 was provided by Historic Scotland 
		
	
	From 2004-05 ICOMOS-UK received grants through English Heritage:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2004-05 41,000 
			 2005-06 41,000 
			 2006-07 41,000 
		
	
	Discussions concerning the grant for 2007-08 are under way. Historic Scotland and CADW have independent negotiations with ICOMOS-UK.

International Council on Monuments and Sites: Finance

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport for what reasons annual grants are made to the International Council on Monuments and Sites.

David Lammy: The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) does not receive grants through my Department. However, grants to its UK National Committee—ICOMOS-UK, are made by English Heritage.
	This funding supports ICOMOS-UK's World Heritage work in England, which includes: training and capacity building, communications/awareness raising; provision of advice on World Heritage nominations and management plans and on periodic reporting; advice on the implications of development proposals in World Heritage sites in England. Funding also supports the strengthening of ICOMOS-UK's role on the international agenda, in particular through promoting best practice from the UK on World Heritage.
	Historic Scotland and CADW have independent negotiations with ICOMOS-UK for their services.

National Lottery: Scotland

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the impact of additional Lottery funding for the London Olympics on future Lottery funding in Scotland.

Shaun Woodward: Of the additional £675 million announced on 15 March, the Scottish Arts Council will contribute £7 million; Sport Scotland £7.3 million; and Scottish Screen £1 million.
	Of the relevant UK-wide distributing bodies, the Heritage Lottery Fund will make a contribution towards the additional £675 million of £90.2 million; and the Big Lottery Fund will make a contribution of £425 million.
	It is for these distributors to determine the proportion of their funding which goes to Scotland. No money will be taken before 2009, grants already made need not be affected and we have agreed with the Big Lottery Fund that resources for the voluntary and community sector will be protected.

National Lottery: Sports

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was distributed to sports clubs  (a) to pay Lottery awards and  (b) to meet administrative costs by each of the five sports Lottery distributors in 2006-07.

Richard Caborn: The total funds drawn-down by the five sports Lottery distributors in 2006-07 were, subject to audit, as follows:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 Sport England 121.400 
			 Sports Council Northern Ireland 7.976 
			 sportscotland 21.898 
			 UK Sport 46.852 
			 Sports Council for Wales 10.649 
		
	
	Of the funds drawn-down by the distributors, the following amounts were spent on meeting Lottery administration costs:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 Sport England 19.929 
			 Sports Council Northern Ireland 0.663 
			 sportscotland 3.502 
			 UK Sport 1.842 
			 Sports Council for Wales 1.502 
		
	
	It should be noted however that there is no common definition of Lottery administration costs. As such the figures provided cannot be directly compared.
	Drawdown figures (rounded)— Source: Department for Culture, Media and Sport
	Administration cost figures— S ource: Sports Councils

Olympic Delivery Authority: Transport

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the cost of delivering the transport strategy of the Olympic Delivery Authority; in what years it will be incurred; and what estimate she has made of the expenditure in each  (a) region and  (b) county.

Richard Caborn: The estimate of the Olympic Delivery Authority's total costs for delivering of the games transport strategy is in the region of £1 billion.
	The majority of the contracts needed to deliver this strategy have yet to be procured and information relating to their potential value is commercially sensitive. Releasing detailed regional information at this stage may prejudice the ability of the Olympic Delivery Authority to achieve value for money.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  on what date the updated figures on the cost of the Olympics provided to her Department by PricewaterhouseCoopers in September 2004 were shown to  (a) officials and  (b) Ministers at HM Treasury;
	(2)  what documents PricewaterhouseCoopers provided to her Department in September 2004 when they gave an update on the cost of the 2012 Olympics.

Tessa Jowell: PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) provided a report to my Department entitled Olympic and Lower Lea Valley Costing Validation Review in July 2004. Copies of this report have been placed in the Libraries of the House. PWC did not provide an update on these figures in September 2004. Rather, my officials continued to update the July figures provided by PWC, in light of emerging information. The final figures were agreed with HM Treasury prior to the submission of the Candidate File.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 22 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1177W, on the Olympic Games: Greater London, for what reasons the transport projects were not transferred to Transport for London.

Tessa Jowell: The three transport projects concern changes to mainline rail infrastructure as part of the London 2012 Olympic Games delivery programme. They do not affect the modes for which Transport for London has responsibility.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the value of land in the Olympic Park at today's market value.

Tessa Jowell: The London Development Agency (LDA) is responsible for making estimates of land values for the purposes of commercial negotiations, but these are commercially sensitive and necessarily confidential.
	The LDA is also currently leading detailed work to make a thorough assessment of the potential end values of land in the Olympic Park and we await the outcome of that work.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will take steps to ensure that all official merchandise, equipment and clothing produced for the London 2012 Olympic Games are produced in facilities where international labour standards are respected, including the International Labour Organisation Core Conventions, and the relevant provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child; and if she will make a statement.

Tessa Jowell: We will work with our partners and other Government Departments to explore how the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games can incorporate ethical and fair trade, and in turn bring positive impacts to poor people in developing countries.
	The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG), which will deliver the games—and the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA)—responsible for building the venues—are committed to promoting ethical principles consistent with the Olympic Charter.
	LOCOG requires all its suppliers to comply with the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) Base Code, and is working with the Playfair Alliance and the ETI to develop a practical approach to raising the bar. The ETI Base Code is derived from the core conventions of the International Labour Organisation.
	LOCOG has recently appointed its Head of Procurement who is developing the policies that will inform procurement when it comes on line mainly in 2009. In addition, LOCOG and the ODA have regular meetings with representatives of the Playfair Alliance and the ETI to inform relevant procurement policies.
	The ODA seeks to work with suppliers who have a good track record in human rights and using goods and materials produced ethically. This includes seeking suppliers who operate within the laws of their country, who do not have discriminatory practices and who do not use child or bonded labour.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she expects the winners of utility contracts for the Olympic Games to be announced.

Richard Caborn: There will be several utilities contracts and current expectations are that the different contracts will be let from early summer 2007 through to summer 2008.
	The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) will announce details of contracts it has awarded once the contractual negotiations have concluded, as in the case of the award of the Primary Substation contract announced on 7 June 2007.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many different companies have applied for each Olympic Games utility contract.

Richard Caborn: The utilities contracts for Olympic Park are being procured under a commercially confidential process by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA). Releasing detailed information at this stage may prejudice the ability of the ODA to achieve value for money.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what mechanisms are in place for ensuring the fairness of the award of the utilities contracts for the Olympics.

Richard Caborn: The utilities contracts for the Olympic Park are being procured in accordance with the Olympic Delivery Authority procurement policy, which in turn is compliant with UK and European public procurement legislation, intended to ensure fairness in the competitive processes.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what contribution to the regeneration budget she expects to come from sponsorship deals for the Olympic Games.

Richard Caborn: All sponsorship activity for the London 2012 Games is a matter for the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG). It is a self-financing body that has a budget of around £2 billion for hosting and staging the London 2012 Games. Around a third of the LOCOG budget will come from its sponsors and will contribute to delivery of the Games, but regeneration costs will not be met from LOCOG's sponsorship programme. The delivery of the new venues and infrastructure needed to enable regeneration is included in the Olympic Delivery Authority's budget.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much she expects to be raised through sponsorship for the Olympic Games.

Richard Caborn: This is a matter for the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG). To host and stage the London 2012 Games, LOCOG has a budget of around £2 billion, almost all of which has to be raised from the private sector. Around a third of this will be through sponsorship activity. Sponsors are, therefore, a vital part of delivering a successful Games. In addition, LOCOG will also receive a proportion of revenue from the sponsors in the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) The Olympic Partner Programme (TOP), within the overall contribution they will receive from the IOC towards the London 2012 Games.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she expects all main sponsors for the Olympic Games to be announced.

Richard Caborn: This is a matter for the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG). Their sponsorship programme is based on a three-tier structure and their first priority is to sign the main partners in Tier One. LOCOG announced their first Tier One sponsor, Lloyds TSB, in the banking and insurance sector in March 2007. The other active sectors included in Tier One are utilities, telecommunications, airlines, automotive, sportswear and oil and gas categories. I understand that they expect to make a number of further announcements in this financial year, although no specific dates have yet been agreed. Their Tier Two and Tier Three programmes will come on line in due course. The LOCOG sponsorship programme is in addition to the sponsors included in the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) The Olympic Partner Programme (TOP).

Olympic Games: Greater London

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the number of construction workers on the Olympic site who will receive healthcare benefits.

Richard Caborn: The estimated number of construction workers on the Olympic Park site (i.e. excluding the village and retail development) is expected to peak at around 9,000 in 2010. It is assumed all will be entitled to receive NHS healthcare benefits, and it is likely that many will be provided with additional healthcare benefits by their employer. However, it is not possible to estimate what additional benefits may be provided since the majority of construction contracts are yet to be let.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will place in the Library copies of  (a) submissions made by bodies for which she is responsible to the IOC Co-ordinating Commission and  (b) the IOC Co-ordinating Commission's final report.

Tessa Jowell: The visit of the IOC Co-ordination Commission was organised by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG). It is a regular private business meeting between those two organisations to discuss progress. The bulk of the information was provided by oral evidence and papers were tabled by LOCOG. Those papers submitted by LOCOG to the IOC Co-ordination Commission were provided in confidence.
	My Department submitted the Legacy Promises document to the IOC Co-ordination Commission. Copies of this document are already in the Library of both Houses. The IOC Co-ordination Commission does not produce a formal report as such. Rather the Chairman of the Commission writes a private letter to the Chairman of the Organising Committee. However, the Commission issued a press release and copies will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 18 April 2007,  Official Report, column 639W, on the London Olympics, whether the breakdown of planned expenditure provided corresponds to the budget headings of the revised budget provided to the IOC Co-ordinating Commission.

Tessa Jowell: The visit of the IOC Co-ordination Commission was organised by the London Organising Committee of the Paralympic Games and Olympic Games (LOCOG). The bulk of the information, including the revised budget was provided in a series of presentations to the IOC.
	The presentation to the IOC on Olympic finances encompassed all aspects of the revised budget provision as set out in my answer of 18 April.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate her Department has made of the number of tourists visiting  (a) Northern Ireland,  (b) Scotland,  (c) Wales and  (d) England during the 2012 Olympics.

Shaun Woodward: Estimates of the number of tourists by country are not available. Preliminary estimates suggested that about 500,000 additional inbound visitors will come to London during the games. However, VisitBritain and Visit London will be shortly commissioning some research to undertake more in-depth analysis.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to tackle the production and sale of counterfeit Olympic products before the 2012 Olympics.

Richard Caborn: The London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Act 2006 and the Olympic Symbol etc. (Protection) Act 1995 contain provisions that safeguard the intellectual property rights of the London 2012 Games. This includes giving customs and trading standards officers powers to detain and seize goods which infringe the rights of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) and the British Olympic Association by using the Olympic and Paralympic terminology, symbols or mottos without their consent.
	LOCOG has begun planning their strategy to combat unofficial merchandise and counterfeit goods and are in the process of identifying a prevention and enforcement policy for the next five years. They have also set up an Anti-Counterfeiting Working Group whose aim is to collaborate and share information and best practice, and to develop a co-ordinated multi-disciplinary approach to the issue. The Working Group includes representatives from HM Revenue and Customs, Trading Standards, Metropolitan Police, Olympic Security Directorate, and the Intellectual Property Office.
	The provisions contained in the Olympic-specific legislation are in addition to the general intellectual property rights which LOCOG will also rely on to protect the brands related to London 2012, the Olympic movement and Paralympic movement.

Public Houses: Entertainments

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment her Department has made of the effect of the Licensing Act 2003 on live entertainment in public houses, with particular reference to the removal of the two in a bar exemption.

Shaun Woodward: Current assessments are largely anecdotal and suggest a broadly neutral impact in terms of live music performances in pubs.
	A survey of smaller venues we carried out in 2006 showed that nearly three-quarters of the 7 per cent. of venues that had ever put on music using the two in a bar exemption now have a licence for live music. Those who did not apply stated that they chose not to because their premises were either unsuitable, or they would not use it. This research is available in the Libraries of the House and on the DCMS website:
	www.culture.gov.uk/Reference_library/Research/research_by_dcms/live_music_exec_summary.htm
	The Live Music Forum has been monitoring the early effects of the Act on live music and is due to publish its assessment shortly. Our own planned research into the current provision of live music will look at premises including pubs, and will be completed by the end of the year.

Slavery: Anniversaries

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will bring forward plans for a national debate on proposals for a slavery memorial day.

David Lammy: As the Deputy Prime Minister confirmed in the Adjournment Debate of 20 March on the Bicentenary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade, the Government will be initiating a public debate on a suitable date for a National Memorial Day every year and what this might entail. Further details will be announced in the coming weeks.

Sports

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many sports clubs there were in England in each of the last 10 years.

Richard Caborn: DCMS does not hold the information requested and there is no central register for Sports clubs in England.

Sports Grounds: Safety

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many responses were received to the Sports Ground Safety Legislation Consultation; and when she expects the results to be published.

Richard Caborn: There were 41 responses to the consultation on the application of sports safety legislation. The responses are now being assessed and the results will be published later this year.

Sports: Hearing Impaired

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations her Department has received about continued funding for UK Deaf Sport; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: The Department has received correspondence from Craig Crowley, chair of UK Deaf Sport, most recently in April 2007. Mr. Crowley expressed his disappointment at UK Sport's decision not to fund his organisation and asked that UK Sport review the decision.
	Since we won the right to host the 2012 Olympic games, UK Sport has revised its strategy, and it is now primarily focused on supporting Olympic and Paralympic sports. However its World Class Pathway Programme does not discriminate against deaf athletes, and there are already some talented deaf athletes on the Pathway who will continue to receive the support they need to succeed at the very highest level.
	In my reply to his letter, I suggested Mr. Crowley contact each of the Home Country Sports Councils to see if they would be prepared to fund UK Deaf Sport for the Deaflympics, and to obtain advice on alternative sources of potential funding.

Sports: Hearing Impaired

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what funding her Department  (a) has given to UK Deaf Sport for the year 2007-08 and  (b) gave for each of the last three years.

Richard Caborn: Through UK Sport the Department has funded the following amounts for UK Deaf Sport:
	
		
			   Funding for deaf sport (£) 
			  (a) 2007-08 42,000 
			   
			  (b) 2006-07 42,000 
			 2005-06 42,000 
			 2004-05 42,000 
		
	
	Additionally, UK Deaf Sport was awarded £75,000 for the period from 1 December 2003 to 31 March 2005 to support the GB team at the 2005 Deaflympics.

Sports: Training

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many community sports coaches there are in  (a) West Bromwich, East constituency,  (b) the West Midlands region and  (c) England; and what steps she is taking to increase the number of community sports coaches.

Richard Caborn: We estimate that, by 22 June 2007, funding awards had been made to support the following Community Sports Coach (CSC) posts:
	 (a) We do not hold specific data on the number of Community Sports Coaches in the West Bromwich, East constituency but there are 168 funded posts in Birmingham and the Black Country, of which 147 are operational
	 (b) 419 funded posts in the West Midlands, of which 374 are operational
	 (c) 3,298 funded posts in England, of which 2,921 are operational
	Future funding for Community Sports Coaches is subject to the ongoing comprehensive spending review.

Tourism: Fire Prevention

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on fire risk assessments in respect of tourist industry facilities; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what guidance  (a) her Department and  (b) Visit Britain has issued to accommodation providers in the tourism industry on fire risk assessments; and if she will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: I have had no discussions on fire risk assessments in respect of tourist facilities with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, who has responsibility for fire safety policy. Guidance on compliance with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, which was developed following a public consultation, is set out in a series of guides dealing with a range of different types of premises, and are freely available on the Communities and Local Government website.
	In addition VisitBritain offers such guidance to accommodation providers on its tourism trade website:
	http://www.tourismtrade.org.uk/QualityStandards/default.asp
	This includes advice on compliance with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (the 2005 Regulations).
	Further advice on the 2005 regulations and the assessment of fire safety risks is contained in VisitBritain's National Quality Assessment Scheme magazine, 'Quality Edge' (Winter 2007 edition, Page 18), which is also available on the internet at:
	http://www.tourismtrade.org.uk/Images/QE4%20for%20website%20lo%20res_tcm12-31907.pdf

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Departments: Manpower

Oliver Heald: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission how many staff funded by the public purse in the Electoral Commission are classified as people without posts.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that there are no people within the organisation classified as people without posts.

Elections: Fraud

Oliver Heald: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what assessment the Electoral Commission has made of the effectiveness of individual electoral registration in reducing the scope for fraud in Northern Ireland.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that since the introduction of individual registration in 2002 it has published reports on the 2003 Northern Ireland Assembly election, the 2005 combined UK parliamentary and local government elections and the 2007 Assembly election. It is the Commission's view that changes introduced by the Electoral Fraud Act 2002, including individual registration, have resulted in more accurate elector registers and reduced the scope for electoral malpractice.

Elections: Fraud

Oliver Heald: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission pursuant to the answer of 16 May 2007,  Official Report, column 749W, on elections: fraud, 
	(1)  how many cases of prosecutions for offences under the Representation of the People Acts came to the attention of the Electoral Commission and were recorded in each year since 2002;
	(2)  on what date the Electoral Commission started counting cases of prosecutions following its discussions with the Crown Prosecution Service.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that it has no formal or statutory role in relation to electoral malpractice, and there is no requirement for it to be informed of cases of prosecutions for offences under the Representation of the People Acts. The available information on the number of such cases brought to its attention in each year is as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2003 1 
			 2004 2 
			 2005 1 
			 2006 5 
			 2007 (to date) 7

Elections: Legislation

Oliver Heald: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission pursuant to the answer of 16 May 2007,  Official Report, column 749W, on elections: legislation, if he will place in the Library a list of the cases referred to in the Crown Prosecution Service's files on alleged offences under electoral legislation indicating  (a) what each alleged offence was,  (b) the location of the alleged offence and  (c) what the final outcome was of each case.

Peter Viggers: The Commission informs me that it is not in a position to provide the information requested. I refer my hon. Friend to my answers to him on 27 March 2007,  Official Report, column 1481W, and 16 May 2007  Official Report, columns 748-49W. The Commission remains in contact with the Crown Prosecution Service and intends to report further by the end of the year.

Elections: Local Government

Caroline Spelman: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what the timetable is for periodic electoral reviews for each tier of local government in England.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that the boundary committee for England completed a programme of periodic electoral reviews of all 386 local authorities in England in October 2004. The Commission has no plans to direct the committee to conduct a further programme. It can direct the boundary committee to undertake electoral reviews of individual authorities at any time.

Elections: Local Government

Oliver Heald: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what advice the Electoral Commission has provided on combining the date of the 2009 European parliamentary elections and 2009 local elections; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that it has provided no such advice. The Commission was, it also informs me, consulted by the Department for Communities and Local Government on a proposed Government amendment, now made, to the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill to allow the date of ordinary local elections to be moved in years when there are European Parliamentary elections so that the two elections could be combined. The Commission has recommended that the provision should also include a time limit by which such powers must be exercised.

Elections: Scotland

Oliver Heald: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what criteria the Electoral Commission used to choose its independent observer to review the issues with the Scottish Parliamentary and local elections in 2007.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that it sought to appoint a non-partisan person independent of the Commission from outside the United Kingdom with extensive electoral administration experience; good knowledge of electoral processes and practices; and some familiarity with the type of legal framework within which the United Kingdom electoral system operates.

Elections: Scotland

Oliver Heald: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what the terms of reference are of the review into the Scottish 2007 elections; and what discretion the review team has to extend the terms.

Peter Viggers: The Commission informs me that it placed a paper in the Library setting out the full terms of reference and scope of the review on 21 May, and that the review team may examine any aspect of the elections that it thinks may be relevant. I also refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Lanark and Hamilton, East (Mr. Hood) on 23 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1307W.

Elections: Scotland

Oliver Heald: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission whether the independent review into the Scottish 2007 elections is being administered on the Electoral Commission's premises.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that it has secured separate office accommodation for the review team in Edinburgh, from which it is expected to carry out the bulk of its work.

Electoral Commission: Manpower

Oliver Heald: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission whether the two new  (a) corporate communication officers and  (b) media relations officers planned to be employed by the Commission are in addition to its existing staff complement.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that both media relations officer positions and one corporate communication officer position are established posts. The other Corporate Communication Officer post is a six month fixed term appointment, additional to the existing staff complement.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agriculture: National Income

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the gross value added (GVA) of farming in  (a) Cornwall,  (b) the South West and  (c) the UK was in each year since 1979; and what proportion of total UK GVA this represented.

Barry Gardiner: The information available is presented in the following table. Regional data are only available from 1995.
	Note that the fall in Agricultural GVA in 2005 is partly a consequence of the introduction of the Single Payment Scheme which is not included in output (as it is decoupled from production) and therefore does not appear in gross value added.
	
		
			  Agricultural gross value added at basic prices 
			   UK  South West  Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly 
			   Value  ( £ million )  Percentage of total UK GVA  Value  ( £ million )  Percentage of total UK GVA  Value  ( £ million )  Percentage of total UK GVA 
			 1979 3,971 2.2 (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 1980 4,404 2.1 (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 1981 4,925 2.1 (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 1982 5,620 2.2 (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 1983 5,485 2.0 (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 1984 6,299 2.1 (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 1985 5,636 1.8 (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 1986 5,874 1.7 (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 1987 6,215 1.7 (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 1988 6,336 1.5 (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 1989 7,014 1.5 (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 1990 7,132 1.4 (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 1991 7,282 1.4 (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 1992 7,851 1.4 (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 1993 8,919 1.5 (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 1994 9,304 1.5 (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 1995 10,206 1.6 1,211 0.2 197 0.03 
			 1996 9,911 1.5 1,156 0.2 175 0.03 
			 1997 8,242 1.1 1,023 0.1 153 0.02 
			 1998 7,471 1.0 891 0.1 141 0.02 
			 1999 7,208 0.9 852 0.1 138 0.02 
			 2000 6,700 0.8 759 0.1 121 0.01 
			 2001 6,783 0.8 800 0.1 124 0.01 
			 2002 7,151 0.8 880 0.1 138 0.01 
			 2003 7,881 0.8 963 0.1 162 0.02 
			 2004 7,613 0.7 897 0.1 155 0.01 
			 2005 5,325 0.5 706 0.1 129 0.01 
			 2006 5,580 0.5 (2)— (2)— (2)— (2)— 
			 (1 )Not available (2) Not yet available

Agriculture: Organic Food

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects UK farmers to adopt the EU Organic Standards agreed on 12 June.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 20 June 2007
	 The EU Council Regulation on organic production and labelling of organic products will apply from 1 January 2009.

Agriculture: Subsidies

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the likely financial correction to be imposed on the UK for non-respect of payment deadlines in 2005-06.

Barry Gardiner: The current estimate of the potential financial correction to be proposed in relation to the UK for failure to meet payment deadlines in respect of the Single Payment Scheme (SPS) for 2005 is around £70 million. The Government will continue to defend the UK's interests against such proposals with the aim of ensuring that any corrections are minimised to the fullest possible degree.

Algae

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the effects of algal blooms on  (a) mussel beds and  (b) inshore fisheries in the area covered by the North Western and North Wales Sea Fisheries Committee.

Ben Bradshaw: Neither DEFRA, nor the Welsh Assembly Government (which is responsible for water quality in Wales) have carried out such assessments. However, the North Western and North Wales Sea Fisheries Committees monitor and plot the locations of algal blooms in the sea.
	The Food Standards Agency advises that some algae produce biotoxins, which may accumulate in shellfish and pose a risk to consumers. The UK has a statutory monitoring programme in place to check for the presence of biotoxins in live bivalve molluscs.
	Under the programme, live bivalve molluscs, including mussels from the Morecambe Bay area, are routinely sampled and tested. Since June 2006, biotoxins have not been found to be a public health concern in the Morecambe Bay area.
	The Environment Agency also monitors water quality in these areas, as required by the Shellfish Waters Directive.

Animal Welfare Act 2006: Prosecutions

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people in  (a) England and  (b) Wales have been prosecuted under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 in 2007.

Ben Bradshaw: Data from the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform for 2007 will be available in the autumn of 2008.

Animal Welfare: Transport

Gwyn Prosser: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many notices have been served under Article 24 of the Welfare of Animals (Transport) (England) Order 2006 by inspectors  (a) at Dover,  (b) at supervised loadings at departure premises and  (c) at other places in respect of live calves destined for export; what remedial measures have been ordered by these notices; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The information is as follows:
	1. The following information relates to the transport of live calves under 42 days of age intended for export.
	2. For the period from 3 May 2006 to 30 April 2007, a total of 373 inspections have been carried out by animal health staff and 26 notices were served under Article 24 of the above order as detailed in the following table.
	
		
			  Location of inspection  Number of inspections  Number of notices served 
			 Supervised loadings at point of departure 79 1 
			 Staging posts/transfer points 5 0 
			 Dover 289 25 
			 Total 373 26 
		
	
	3. Reasons for the service of the 26 notices and details of the remedial action required to be taken by the transporter are as follows:
	
		
			  Notices served  Reason for the notice  Remedial measures ordered by these notices 
			 3 Unable to provide adequate water and emergency feed Take remedial action before continuing journey 
			 5 Insufficient headroom and oversize pens Take remedial action before continuing journey 
			 1 Ventilation fans not working on lorry Do not transport animals at all 
			 4 Delayed sailing Hold at lairage for 24 hour rest 
			 4 Cancelled sailing Return the animals by most direct route 
			 4 No journey log/ exceeded journey times Hold at lairage/return the animals by most direct route 
			 5 A collapsed calf (all at Dover) Do not transport animals at all (4 of the 5 calves were humanely destroyed)

Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty: Cotswolds

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make a statement on the grant settlement received by the Cotswolds area of outstanding natural beauty from Natural England for 2007-08; and what assessment he has made of the effect of the grant on the establishment of the Cotswolds Conservation Boards.

Barry Gardiner: DEFRA does not fund areas of outstanding natural beauty (AONBs) directly. Most of the core (administrative) costs, and some of the project costs, involved are provided by Natural England. The relevant local authorities also make a significant contribution. It is for Natural England to determine funding levels for each AONB according to priorities and available resources.

Bees: Electromagnetic Fields

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the potential effects of the wider use of Wi-Fi technology on bee populations.

Barry Gardiner: DEFRA has not made any assessment of the effects of electronic telecommunications networks on bee populations as there is no evidence to suggest that there is any link between this technology and colony mortality. Should a link emerge, DEFRA will consider what action should be taken.

Birds: Imports

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reasons the rules on pet bird imports have been relaxed, with particular reference to  (a) the removal of the need for individual licences and  (b) compulsory quarantine periods.

Ben Bradshaw: Before the recent change to rules on pet bird imports, there were more restrictions on movements of pet birds into the UK than on commercial birds of the same species. In respect of disease risk, there is no justification for imposing additional rules on individuals wishing to bring their pet birds into the UK. Pet birds are confined in a house or aviary, with minimal contact with wild birds or commercial poultry, and are closely observed, so disease is noticed promptly. Bird keepers are advised to be alert for signs of avian influenza or Newcastle disease at all times and to report any suspicion of disease to their nearest animal health office.
	Following a public consultation, including an animal health risk assessment, moving pet birds to the UK from other European countries does not require licences or quarantine subject to conditions: there must be five or fewer pet birds, the import must not be intended for a commercial purpose and the birds cannot be poultry.

Carbon Emissions

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the regulatory framework is for those companies that offer carbon-offsetting services; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: The carbon market is a growing and diverse marketplace. In practice, there are two different markets currently in operation—the voluntary market and the regulated market. The regulated market covers emission reductions generated under the Kyoto mechanisms, such as Certified Emission Reductions (CERs) and EU Allowances (EUAs). The voluntary market covers all emission reductions generated outside of the regulated regime—collectively known as Verified Emission Reductions (VERs). There is currently no regulatory framework governing the voluntary market.
	DEFRA has published a consultation paper on establishing a voluntary Code of Best Practice for the provision of carbon offsetting to UK customers. The purpose of establishing such a Code is to ensure consumer confidence in this emerging market. Such confidence will also be an important factor in the market's continued growth. The consultation has now been completed and responses are being assessed. The intention is to have the Code operating in late 2007.
	The Code proposes that the most suitable carbon credits for offsetting are those from the regulated market because they are robust and verifiable.

Carbon Emissions

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the environmental effectiveness of the services offered by carbon-offsetting companies.

Ian Pearson: Carbon offsetting is not a cure for climate change, but it can to help raise awareness and reduce the impact of our actions. The biggest priority is to reduce our emissions wherever possible. However, where this cannot be achieved, offsetting can help by creating the equivalent carbon dioxide saving elsewhere.
	There are currently two markets in operation which generate emission reductions for carbon offsetting. The regulated market encompasses emission reductions generated under the Kyoto mechanisms, while the voluntary market covers those which operate outside the Kyoto regime. There is currently no regulatory framework governing the voluntary market.
	In order to provide more confidence, DEFRA has published a consultation paper on establishing a voluntary Code of Best Practice for the provision of carbon offsetting to UK customers. The aim is to have the Code operating in late 2007.
	The Code proposes that the most suitable carbon credits for offsetting are those from the regulated market because they are robust and verifiable. These credits include Certified Emission Reductions (CERs), EU Allowances (EUAs) and Emission Reduction Units (ERUs). However, it is possible to offset voluntarily, that is without a formal compliance obligation, and use regulated credits to achieve this. Government currently uses CERs within its own voluntary internal carbon offsetting schemes.

Catering: EC Law

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reasons the catering industry is exempt from the EU Organic Food Standards adopted on 12 June 2007.

Ben Bradshaw: The Council agreed that it was not currently appropriate to consider EU standards for the catering sector and that instead, it should be left to the control of national governments. The Commission have undertaken to review this by 31 December 2011.

Cattle: Exports

Gwyn Prosser: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 10 May 2007,  Official Report, column 380W, on cattle: exports, what the journey length in hours was of each shipment of calves aged under 42 days exported to Spain between 1 January and 30 April 2007.

Ben Bradshaw: The following table shows the figures requested, for journeys between 1 January 2007 and 30 April 2007:
	
		
			  Destination  Number of shipments  Total number of calves  Average journey time (hours)  Number of short rest stops/journey  Number of 24 hour rest periods/journey 
			 Barcelona 50 3,202 57 2 1 
			 Alcarras 44 1,752 83 2 2 
			 Vic (from Carmarthen) 8 164 109 2 3 
			 Vic (from Gloucester) 12 693 54 2 1 
			 Vic (from Taunton) 3 18 103 2 2 
			 Pulgcreda 21 911 55 3 1 
			 Total 138 6,740 69 13 10

Cattle TB: Independent Scientific Group

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when Ministers first received the report of the Independent Scientific Group on cattle tuberculosis.

Ben Bradshaw: DEFRA Ministers, together with a range of stakeholders, received the final report of the Independent Scientific Group (ISG) on 15 June 2007. On 23 May, under cover of a letter from the chairman of the ISG, Ministers received an incomplete draft of the report.

Cattle TB: Independent Scientific Group

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he next plans to meet representatives of the Independent Scientific Group on bovine tuberculosis to discuss its recent report.

Ben Bradshaw: There are no current plans for DEFRA Ministers to meet representatives of the Independent Scientific Group on Cattle TB (ISG) to discuss its recent report. The work of the ISG has come to an end.
	The Government are committed to establishing a new bovine TB science advisory body to provide independent expert advice to inform policy decisions on bovine TB issues.

Cattle TB: Independent Scientific Group

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he plans to ask Professor Godfray to carry out an evaluation of the recent Independent Scientific Group report on bovine tuberculosis.

Ben Bradshaw: There are no plans to ask Professor Godfray to carry out such a review.

Departments: Aviation

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many flights to overseas destinations were taken by  (a) civil servants and  (b) Ministers in his Department in each of the last three calendar years; and what the total cost of such flights were.

Barry Gardiner: This information can be provided only at disproportionate cost. Since 1999, the Government have published on an annual basis a list of all overseas visits by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of £500, as well as the total cost of all ministerial travel overseas. Copies of the lists are available in the Libraries of the House. Information for 2006-07 is currently being compiled and will be published before the summer recess. All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Civil Service Management Code, the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers.

Departments: Manpower

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people granted  (a) temporary part-time,  (b) temporary full-time,  (c) permanent part-time and  (d) permanent full-time contracts of employment in his Department in each of the last three years were (i) male, (ii) female, (iii) registered disabled and (iv) aged 55 years or over.

Barry Gardiner: This information is partially available from statistics published by the Cabinet Office in the annual Civil Service Statistics reports. The latest published statistics are for 1 April 2003, 2004 and 2005.
	Links are provided for each of the three years to the following tables:
	 Entrants by  D epartment and disability status
	2002-03:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/statistics/publications/xls/report2003/diversity_tables/table_af.xls
	2003-04:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/statistics/publications/xls/report2004/entrants_and_leavers/Table%20AF%20-%20final.xls
	2004-05:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/statistics/publications/xls/report2005/2005table_ae.xls
	 Entrants by D epartment and gender
	2002-03:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/statistics/publications/xls/report_2003/diversity_tables/table_ag.xls
	2003-04:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/statistics/pubrications/xls/report_2004/entrants_and_leavers/Table%20AG%20-%20final.xls
	2004-05:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/statistics/publications/xls/report_2005/2005table_af.xls
	 Entrants by responsibility level, age and gender (breakdown by D epartment not available)
	2002-03:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/statistics/publications/xls/report_2003/diversity_tables/table_ah.xls
	2003-04:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/statistics/publications/xls/report_2004/entrants_and_leavers/Table%20AH%20-%20final.xls
	2004-05:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/statistics/publications/xls/report_2005/2005table_ag.xls
	A further breakdown by permanent/temporary status and working pattern is not available from published sources.

Departments: Manpower

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of staff in his Department are  (a) male,  (b) female,  (c) registered disabled and  (d) aged 55 or over.

Barry Gardiner: This information is available from statistics published by the Cabinet Office in the annual Civil Service Statistics reports. The latest published statistics are for 1 April 2005.
	Links are provided to the following tables:
	Permanent staff in post for all staff and SCS level by gender:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/statistics/publications/xls/report2005/table n.xls
	Permanent staff in post for all staff and SCS level by disability status:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/statistics/publications/xls/report2005/table p.xls
	In addition, the Office for National Statistics has carried out an ad hoc analysis for permanent staff by Department aged 55 or over. In DEFRA, 13 per cent. of staff were aged 55 or over on 1 April 2005.

Departments: Marketing

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which advertising and marketing campaigns were run by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies in each of the last five years; which external agencies were involved; and what the cost was of each campaign.

Barry Gardiner: The total expenditure of the Department's Communication Directorate on marketing activity for each of the last five years is as follows:
	
		
			   Expenditure (£) 
			 2002 3,747,138.54 
			 2003 2,380,639.81 
			 2004 3,285,228.17 
			 2005 3,190,869.12 
			 2006 2,576,335.49 
		
	
	From its inception to 2003-04, the Department did not record separate costs for campaigns as part of its communications expenditure.
	For details of advertising campaigns, costs and external agencies involved from 2004-05 to 2006-07, I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19 June 2007,  Official Report, columns 1655-56W, to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps). The Department procures its advertising services from the Central Office of Information (COI). Advertising agencies are selected from the COI rosters and supply their services to the COI, not to DEFRA directly.
	For details of public relations campaigns, costs and external agencies involved from 2004-05 to 2006-07, I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1654-55Ws, to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) The Department procures its public relations services from the Central Office of Information (COI). Public relations agencies are selected from the COI rosters and supply their services to the COI, not to DEFRA directly.
	For costs for DEFRA's delivery bodies, I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given on 6 March 2007,  Official Report, columns 1820-23W, by the Minister for Climate Change and the Environment (Ian Pearson) to the hon. Member for Cheltenham (Martin Horwood).

Departments: Northern Ireland

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of the concordat governing the relationship between his Department and the Northern Ireland administration.

Barry Gardiner: My Department does not currently have a concordat with the Northern Ireland Executive but will work with colleagues in the devolved Administration in Northern Ireland to develop one. A copy will be laid in the House when this has been done.
	The principles set out in the Memorandum of Understanding and Supplementary Agreements between the UK Government, Scottish Ministers, the Cabinet of the National Assembly for Wales and the Northern Ireland Executive, published in 2001, continue to underpin our working relationship with the Northern Ireland Executive.

Departments: Pay

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff in his Department received bonus payments in 2007; what proportion of the total workforce they represented; what the total amount of bonuses paid was; what the largest single payment has been; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: The following table shows details of bonuses awarded to staff in core-DEFRA and those Agencies covered by the core-Department's reward arrangements in 2007 i.e. Animal Health, Pesticides Safety Directorate, Veterinary Medicines Directorate, Marine Fisheries Agency and Government Decontamination Services.
	
		
			   January-May 2007 
			 Number of staff awarded bonuses 822 
			 Proportion of workforce (Percentage) 14 
			 Total amount of bonuses paid (£) 347,100 
			 Highest bonus (£) 900 
		
	
	However, these figures represent In-Year Performance bonuses only, paid to staff at Grade 6 and below.
	Payment of annual performance bonuses to staff in and below the SCS for 2007 have still to be finalised.
	Separate performance bonus arrangements operate for staff in the SCS and those at Grade 6 and below.
	 For the SCS
	Non-consolidated cash payments, otherwise known as bonuses, reward in-year performances in relation to agreed objectives, or short term personal contribution to wider organisational objectives. Bonuses are paid in addition to base pay increases and do not count towards pension.
	Bonuses are allocated by departments from a 'pot' expressed as a percentage of the SCS salary bill, which is agreed centrally each year following the SSRB recommendations. The intention is that bonus decisions should be differentiated in order to recognise the most significant deliverers of in-year performance.
	 For Staff at Grade 6 and below
	The High Performance Bonus Awards scheme introduced in April 2005, provide staff in DEFRA and those Agencies covered by the core-Department's reward arrangements, with recognition and reward for delivery of an outstanding outcome or performance that significantly exceeds normal expectations. The process should provide staff at all grades with an opportunity to earn a bonus, and ensure that achievements in operational, policy and corporate services areas are recognised as being of equal esteem.
	There are two types of award:
	In-Year High Performance bonuses paid to individuals or teams in recognition of one-off achievements during the year; and
	Annual High Performance bonuses which are paid to the top 10 per cent. of performers in each DG for delivery of an outstanding outcome or performance sustained throughout the whole year.

Departments: Public Participation

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many public consultations his Department undertook in the last 12 months; and what the cost was of each consultation.

Barry Gardiner: In the period June 2006 to June 2007 the Department initiated 114 public consultations. The cost of each of these consultations could be calculated only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Remploy

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what  (a) services and  (b) products his Department has procured from Remploy in the last 12 months; and at what cost.

Barry Gardiner: From information held centrally, core-DEFRA spent £522.88 with Remploy in the last 12 months. Departmental accounts classify the expenditure as Diversity Advertising non-recruitment.

Departments: Sign Language

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the merits of providing British Sign Language (BSL) videos on his departmental website for the benefit of those whose first language is BSL.

Barry Gardiner: DEFRA aims to produce a website that is accessible for users with disabilities. In April 2007 changes were made to the site which made it more compliant with Web Accessibility Initiative standards, further supporting DEFRA's commitments under the Disability Discrimination Act.
	Video is not used extensively on the DEFRA website but where it is used we aim to provide accompanying transcripts or explanatory descriptive text for those unable to hear the audio content of an online video. We have not assessed the feasibility of also providing BSL.

Departments: Surveys

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff surveys his Department undertook in the last 12 months; and at what total cost.

Barry Gardiner: DEFRA'S approach has been to undertake a full staff survey every 18 months. The last full staff survey took place in 2005 and cost approximately £65,000 plus VAT.

Domestic Waste

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 16 April 2007,  Official Report, column 77W, on domestic waste, and the Answer of 30 April 2007,  Official Report, column 1430W, on domestic waste: Norfolk, when he will publish an amended list of local authorities.

Ben Bradshaw: A revised list of local authorities known to be operating alternate weekly collections (AWC) of refuse and recyclables/organic waste is as follows:
	 Local authority
	Alnwick District Council
	Amber Valley
	Ashfield District Council
	Babergh District Council
	Bassetlaw District Council
	Barnsley MBC
	Berwick-upon-Tweed Borough Council
	Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council
	Blyth Valley Borough Council
	Boston Borough Council
	Braintree District Council
	Breckland District Council
	Bridgnorth District Council
	Broadland District Council
	Bromsgrove District Council
	Broxtowe Borough Council
	Burnley Borough Council
	Cambridge City Council
	Cannock Chase District Council
	Canterbury City Council
	Carlisle City Council
	Castle Morpeth Borough Council
	Charnwood Borough Council
	Cherwell District Council
	Chesterfield Borough Council
	Chichester District Council
	Chiltern District Council(1)
	Chorley Borough Council
	Copeland Borough Council
	Corby Borough Council
	Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council
	Dacorum Borough Council
	Daventry District Council
	Derby City Council
	Derwentside District Council
	East Hampshire District Council
	East Lindsey District Council
	Eastleigh Borough Council
	Ellesmere Port and Neston Borough Council
	Erewash Borough Council
	Exeter City Council
	Fenland District Council
	Forest Heath District Council
	Fylde Borough Council
	Gedling Borough Council
	Gosport Borough Council
	Great Yarmouth Borough Council
	Hambleton District Council
	Harborough District Council
	Hartlepool Borough Council
	Havant Borough Council
	Hertsmere Borough Council
	Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council
	High Peak Borough Council
	Huntingdonshire District Council
	Hyndburn Borough Council
	Ipswich Borough Council
	Kennet District Council
	Kettering Borough Council
	Lancaster City Council
	Lichfield District Council
	Lincoln City Council
	London Borough of Harrow
	Macclesfield Borough Council
	Mansfield District Council
	Melton Borough Council
	Mendip District Council
	Mid Bedfordshire District Council
	Mid Devon District Council
	Mid Suffolk District Council
	Mole Valley District Council
	Newark and Sherwood District Council
	North Devon District Council
	North Kesteven District Council
	North Lincolnshire Council
	North Norfolk District Council
	North Shropshire District Council
	North West Leicestershire District Council
	Northampton Borough Council
	Nottingham City Council
	Oswestry Borough Council
	Oxford City Council
	Pendle Borough Council
	Peterborough City Council
	Preston Borough Council
	Purbeck District Council
	Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council
	Redditch Borough Council
	Richmondshire District Council
	Rochdale MBC(2)
	Rossendale Borough Council
	Rushcliffe Borough Council
	Ryedale District Council
	Shepway District Council
	South Cambridgeshire District Council
	South Derbyshire District Council
	South Gloucestershire Council
	South Hams District Council
	South Kesteven District Council
	South Lakeland District Council
	South Norfolk District Council
	South Northamptonshire Council
	South Ribble Borough Council
	South Shropshire District Council
	South Somerset District Council
	South Staffordshire District Council
	St. Edmundsbury Borough Council
	Tamworth Borough Council
	Taunton Deane Borough Council
	Teignbridge District Council
	Telford and Wrekin Borough Council
	Test Valley Borough Council
	Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council
	Torbay Council
	Tunbridge Wells Borough Council
	Tynedale District Council
	Uttlesford District Council
	Vale Royal Borough Council
	Wansbeck District Council
	Waveney District Council
	Waverley Borough Council
	Wealden District Council
	Wellingborough Borough Council
	West Lancashire District Council
	West Wiltshire District Council
	Winchester City Council
	Wirral MBC(3)
	Woking Borough Council
	Worcester City
	Wycombe District Council
	Wyre Borough Council
	Wyre Forest District Council
	York City Council
	(1) Scheme not district-wide
	(2) Phase one introduced summer 2006. Next three phases to be introduced July 2007 to February 2008
	(3) Roll out January 2007—scheme not borough wide
	Some authorities listed provide AWC of refuse alongside a weekly recyclables and/or food waste collection service. This list represents the Waste and Resources Action Programme's (WRAP) best understanding of the current situation. However, the often rapid changes in this area mean that this list might not be completely up to date.
	WRAP has deleted from the list those authorities that had been incorrectly recorded as operating AWC schemes. Authorities operating small scale trials have also not been included, in order to avoid any confusion or potential misunderstanding if the authority has not yet agreed wider roll out of the scheme.

Domestic Waste

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 16 April 2007,  Official Report, column 77W, on domestic waste, what records the Waste and Resources Action Programme holds of local authorities intentions relating to the introduction of alternate weekly collections later in 2007.

Ben Bradshaw: Local authorities intending to introduce alternate weekly collections later in the year are under no obligation to inform the Waste and Resources Action Programme of this fact.

Domestic Wastes: Waste Disposal

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance  (a) his Department and  (b) the Waste and Resources Action Programme has provided to local authorities on the size of wheelie bins for collections of household waste.

Ben Bradshaw: Section 46 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 empowers local authorities to specify the number, size, construction and maintenance of their waste receptacles, what can be placed in each, and also where and when they should be placed for collection.
	My Department has funded the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), to provide advice and support to local authorities in carrying out their recycling and waste collection operations efficiently and effectively. However, WRAP has not produced any specific guidance on the size of wheelie bins for the collection of household waste.
	Decisions on the best way to collect waste are rightly a matter for local authorities, not central Government.

Domestic Wastes: Waste Disposal

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the comments made by the Minister for Sustainable Farming and Food on 10 May 2007, House of Lords,  Official Report, column 1534, 
	(1)  what estimate his Department has made of the increase in fly-tipping resulting from the move to alternate weekly collections of household rubbish;
	(2)  what requirements local authorities who move to alternate weekly collections of household rubbish will have to take extra steps to tackle fly-tipping.

Ben Bradshaw: My Department has not made any assessment of fly-tipping incidents resulting from local authorities moving to alternate weekly collections of household waste.
	There is currently no evidence that switching to alternate weekly collection of household waste results in an increase in fly tipping incidents.
	Any changes to waste collection methods that are poorly implemented may increase the risk of fly-tipping. However, DEFRA actively encourages local authorities to have fly-tipping prevention and enforcement strategies in place, regardless of whether they introduce alternate weekly collections or not.
	My Department is currently in discussions with the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) to consider whether they could work with any local authorities that are introducing these schemes in the future to carry out some pre, and post, scheme analysis of fly-tipping. This is in addition to the guidance that WRAP is currently updating on alternate weekly collections, in order to minimise nuisance and health risks.
	It is the responsibility of each local authority to determine what works best for their own community, rather than central Government.
	My Department is currently consulting on proposals to give local authorities the freedom to introduce financial incentive schemes to encourage recycling and minimisation of waste by householders. This consultation seeks views on what controls, if any, Government should place on local authorities before allowing them to introduce such incentive schemes. We have proposed that there should be a requirement for local authorities who use these powers to have fly-tipping prevention and enforcement strategies in place.

Eggs: Labelling

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government are taking to ensure clear labelling of eggs produced from battery cage hens.

Ben Bradshaw: The rules for marketing Class A eggs for consumption are agreed at European level. Each egg must be stamped with various details relating to its origin and including a code identifying the method of production. Packs or displays of Class A eggs must also be labelled with the production method and an explanation of the code on the eggs. Together, these enable the consumer to determine whether an egg is organic, free range, barn, or from a caged hen.
	These rules are actively enforced in England from the primary production through packing to distribution by Animal Health 'Egg Marketing Inspectors' and by local authorities at retail and catering level.

Electronic Equipment: Recycling

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for North Cornwall (Dan Rogerson) of 27 April 2007,  Official Report, column 1342W, on electronic equipment: recycling, what mechanisms the Government hope will be established to provide for the expected increase in recycling of  (a) metals,  (b) plastics and  (c) other materials.

Malcolm Wicks: I have been asked to reply.
	The UK has existing treatment capacity for many types of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE). For example, we have some of the largest and most modern fridge treatment facilities in Europe and are currently importing fridges from France and the Republic of Ireland. We have growing capacity for the treatment of TVs and monitors with cathode ray tubes (CRTs) and good treatment capacity for lamps and fluorescent tubes. The capacity in these areas has been prompted by the requirements of the Ozone Depleting Substances Regulations (in the case of fridges and freezers) and the Hazardous Waste Regulations in the case of other types of hazardous WEEE.
	Since the WEEE UK Regulations were laid on 12 December 2006 this existing infrastructure has been further enhanced, with investments of over £15 million across the UK. This investment includes plants in South Wales, Bedfordshire, Kent and Birmingham which will be capable of handling in excess of an additional 250,000 tonnes of WEEE material.

Energy Supply

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if his Department will consider the merits of publishing a low carbon milestone document to help Ofgem achieve its new role of analysing the long term energy outlook in order to address concerns about security of supply as outlined in the recent Energy White Paper.

Ian Pearson: As set out in the Energy White Paper, the new Energy Markets Outlook is to be jointly managed by the Department of Trade and Industry and Ofgem to provide energy market information relating to security of supply.
	Through the Energy White Paper and draft Climate Change Bill, the Government have provided a framework to encourage the development of low carbon technologies, which will allow the market to help minimise the cost of achieving our goals. Our commitment to the EU Emissions Trading Scheme also shows our continued belief that a carbon market is the most cost-effective way to reduce emissions. However, it is for the market to decide how to respond and in which technologies to invest. We therefore have no plans to publish a milestone document.

Energy: Conservation

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what powers his Department has  (a) to advise,  (b) to encourage and  (c) to compel businesses to minimise energy and electricity consumption during non-business times in order (i) to improve energy efficiency, (ii) to minimise environmental damage and (iii) to reduce light pollution.

Ian Pearson: DEFRA funds the Carbon Trust, who work closely with business to encourage sustainable use of energy, establish energy efficient practices and systems, and develop low carbon technologies. Under its Solutions programme the trust advises businesses on cutting carbon emissions through reducing energy use, including advice on switching off lighting and equipment during non-business times. The Carbon Trust holds free lighting workshops, and produces a number of publications specifically focused on lighting in the business sector.
	The Secretary of State has the power to enter into climate change agreements (CCAs) with industry sectors and individual companies that meet certain eligibility conditions. CCAs give entitlement to claim an 80 per cent. discount from the Climate Change Levy in return for meeting challenging energy efficiency or carbon emissions reductions targets. The targets apply regardless of when energy is used.
	In addition, as part of the Energy White Paper, the Government announced that they would be taking forward the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC). The CRC is a mandatory emissions trading scheme that will target energy use emissions from large non-energy intensive commercial and public sector organisations, such as supermarkets, banks, large local authorities and Government Departments.
	This sector accounts for around 10 per cent. of the UK's carbon emissions and is rising. There is scope for significant abatement. The CRC will deliver emissions reductions of 1.1 MtC per year by 2020 from this sector. It would encourage organisations to minimise their energy use by placing a cap on their overall energy use emissions.
	We will be publishing a consultation document shortly on the detail of how the proposed CRC can best be implemented.
	Stronger powers were provided to local authorities to tackle light pollution under the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005. The Act extends the statutory nuisance regime enabling local authorities to issue abatement notices, and individuals to take private action through the magistrates court.

Energy: Meters

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will meet industry representatives to discuss smart metering and the Energy White Paper.

Ian Pearson: My Department holds regular meetings with industry representatives to discuss a range of issues, including smart metering and the proposals in the Energy White Paper.

Environment Agency: Natural England

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had on merging the Environment Agency and Natural England; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: The Secretary of State has had no recent discussions on merging the Environment Agency and Natural England.

Farms

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average size of a farm is in  (a) Cornwall,  (b) the South West and  (c) the UK.

Barry Gardiner: The average size of holdings for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, the South West Region and England at June 2006 can be found in the following table. Figures for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland fall under the jurisdiction of the devolved authorities.
	
		
			   Average holding size in hectares 
			  (a) Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly 31.2 
			  (b) South West Region 36.8 
			  (c) England 46.6 
			  Note: Estimates have been made for holdings not selected or not responding.  Source: June Agricultural Survey

Fisheries: Income

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the average annual earnings of fishermen in  (a) Cornwall,  (b) the South West and  (c) the UK in each year since 1979.

John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 25 June 2007:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what estimate has been made of the average annual earnings of fisherman in (a) Cornwall, (b) the South West and (c) the UK in each year since 1979. (144232)
	I attach a table showing average annual earnings for a fisherman in the UK, for the years 1999 to 2006. Figures showing the average annual earnings of a fisherman in Cornwall or the South West, and annual figures prior to 1999, are not available. For years prior to 2002, 'fisherman' is defined as Unit Group 903 in the Standard Occupational Classification 1990—'Fishing and Related Workers'. For years 2002 onwards, 'fisherman' is defined as Unit Group 5119 in the Standard Occupational Classification 2000—'Agricultural and Fishing Trades Not Elsewhere Classified'.
	The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. It is a one per cent sample of all employees who are members of pay-as-you-earn (PAYE) schemes.
	
		
			  Average earnings for all full-time employee jobs( a)  by occupation( b)  (United Kingdom) 
			  £ 
			   Gross annual pay 
			   Median  Mean 
			 1999 14,600 x 
			 2000 15,900 **18,800 
			 2001 15,700 x 
			 2002(b) *12,600 *13,700 
			 2003 *13,400 *14,400 
			 2004 excl. *14,900 *15,900 
			 2004 inc.(c) *14,200 *15,800 
			 2005 x x 
			 2006 **17,300 *18,400 
			  Notes: (a) Employees on adult rates who have been in the same job for more than a year.  (b) "Fisherman" is defined as Unit Group 903 in the Standard Occupational Classification 1990—"Fishing and Related Workers", covering years 1999 to 2001, and as Unit Group 5119 in the Standard Occupational Classification 2000—'Agricultural and Fishing Trades Not Elsewhere Classified", covering years 2002 onwards.  (c) In 2004 additional supplementary surveys were introduced to improve the coverage of the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Figures are presented both excluding and including the additional surveys for comparison purposes.   Guide to quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of a figure, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an average of 200 with a CV of 5 per cent. we would expect the population average to be within the range 180 to 220.   Key: CV<=5 per cent.  * CV>5 per cent. and <=10 per cent.  ** CV> 10 per cent. and <=20 per cent.  x CV > 20 per cent. The median is the value below which 50 per cent. of employees fall. It is preferred over the mean for earnings data as it is influenced less by extreme values and because of the skewed distribution of earnings data.   Source:  Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Office for National Statistics.

Fisheries: Income

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of fishermen in  (a) Cornwall,  (b) the South West and  (c) the UK living below the poverty line.

Jim Murphy: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested is not available.

Fisheries: Manpower

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many fishermen there were in  (a) Cornwall,  (b) the South West and  (c) the UK in each year since 1979; and what proportion of the total workforce they made up in each year.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested, for the UK and the South West, is shown in the following table where available. A breakdown of the number of fishermen in Cornwall is not available.
	
		
			   Numbers of UK fishermen based in:  Overall workforce( 2) 
			   South West England( 1)  Total UK  South West England  Total UK 
			 1979 — — — 26,541,000 
			 1980 — 23,309 — 26,863,000 
			 1981 — 23,990 — 27,093,000 
			 1982 — 23,011 — 26,892,000 
			 1983 — 22,587 — 26,653,000 
			 1984 — 21,869 — 27,485,000 
			 1985 — 22,224 — 27,710,000 
			 1986 — 22,634 — 27,837,000 
			 1987 — 22,424 — 28,092,000 
			 1988 — 22,320 — 28,439,000 
			 1989 — — — 28,815,000 
			 1990 — — — 28,925,000 
			 1991 — — — 28,807,000 
			 1992 — — 2,326,000 28,428,000 
			 1993 — — 2,326,000 28,234,000 
			 1994 3,203 20,703 2,346,000 28,201,000 
			 1995 3,090 19,986 2,356,000 28,202,000 
			 1996 2,909 19,044 2,359,000 28,345,000 
			 1997 2,767 18,604 2,402,000 28,492,000 
			 1998 2,841 17,889 2,413,000 28,497,000 
			 1999 2,485 16,896 2,444,000 28,811,000 
			 2000 2,449 15,649 2,464,000 29,071,000 
			 2001 2,336 14,958 2,474,000 29,122,000 
			 2002 2,309 14,205 2,502,000 29,399,000 
			 2003 2,403 13,122 2,514,000 29,645,000 
			 2004 2,502 13,453 2,533,000 29,839,000 
			 2005 2,331 12,647 2,557,000 30,100,000 
			 2006 — — 2,575,000 30,552,000 
			 (1) Based on vessels licensed at the administrative ports of Brixham, Newlyn and Plymouth, Marine Fisheries Agency. (2) Economically active persons in the UK aged over 16 estimated by the Labour Force Survey, Office for National Statistics.

Fisheries: Quotas

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas' fishing quota advice for 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 19 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1664W.

Fishing Catches

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made with the development of the  (a) North sea nephrops discard pilot schemes and  (b) Irish sea discards pilot scheme; what information his Department has recorded as a result of the schemes; whether he is in a position to make recommendations as a result of the schemes; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to him on the 15 June 2007,  Official Report , column 1370W, and the 18 June 2007,  Official Report , column 1431W.

Fishing Catches

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations he has made to his EU counterparts on  (a) a community-wide discard ban and  (b) the introduction of a full catch registry scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: At the 11-12 June Agriculture and Fisheries Council, my ministerial colleagues and I discussed the Commission's recent communication which proposes a series of discard bans in EU fisheries. I made clear that, although the UK was generally supportive of the Commission's initiative to reduce discards, we had concerns about the practical implementation of the measures proposed, particularly discard bans. We believe the Communication significantly underestimates the potential enforcement difficulties and costs associated with such measures, especially in the mixed fisheries around the UK.

Fly-tipping: East of England

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how many incidents of fly-tipping were reported in each local authority in the East of England in each of the last four years for which figures are available; and what the estimated cost was of dealing with such incidents;
	(2)  how many  (a) prosecutions and  (b) successful prosecutions there were for fly-tipping in each local authority in the East of England in each year for which figures are available.

Ben Bradshaw: The Flycapture database, which was set up in 2004 by DEFRA, the Environment Agency and the Local Government Association, records the number of fly-tipping incidents dealt with by the Environment Agency and local authorities and details of enforcement action. The following tables show the number of incidents and prosecutions recorded by each local authority in the East of England on Flycapture for 2004-05 and 2005-06.
	Data for 2006-07 have not yet been finalised but will be available in the summer.
	
		
			  East of England  flycapture data  for 2004-05 
			  East of England borough  Total number of incidents  Estimated clearance costs recorded (£)  Number of prosecutions taken to court  Number of successful prosecutions 
			 Babergh district council 343 21,035.00 0 0 
			 Basildon district council 11,639 561,523.00 4 4 
			 Bedford borough council 2,210 125,520.00 3 3 
			 Braintree district council 2,154 115,105.00 0 0 
			 Breckland district council 612 30,550.00 0 0 
			 Brentwood borough council 502 44,447.00 0 0 
			 Broadland district council 497 21,988.00 1 1 
			 Broxbourne borough council 3,483 208,153.00 4 4 
			 Cambridge city council 997 60,977.00 0 0 
			 Castle Point borough council 349 12,658.00 0 0 
			 Chelmsford borough council 1,048 63,635.00 0 0 
			 Colchester borough council 195 9,069.00 1 1 
			 Dacorum borough council 2,208 215,341.10 0 0 
			 East Cambridgeshire district council 667 29,730.00 0 0 
			 East Hertfordshire district council 225 14,936.93 0 0 
			 Epping Forest district council 2,276 79,185.00 6 5 
			 Fenland district council 1,337 84,116.00 0 0 
			 Forest Heath district council 682 42,135.00 0 0 
			 Great Yarmouth borough council 2,951 245,993.50 1 1 
			 Harlow district council 2,234 127,713.00 0 0 
			 Hertsmere borough council 36 1,391.00 0 0 
			 Huntingdonshire district council 852 44,669.00 0 0 
			 Ipswich borough council 341 17,888.00 0 0 
			 Kings Lynn and West Norfolk borough council 1,842 105,501.00 0 0 
			 Luton borough council 2,073 (1)— 3 3 
			 Maldon district council 143 6,594.00 0 0 
			 Mid Beds district council 959 57,728.26 0 0 
			 Mid Suffolk district council 346 16,243.00 0 0 
			 North Hertfordshire district council 564 26,876.00 0 0 
			 North Norfolk district council 198 12,197.00 0 0 
			 Norwich city council 7,312 304,487.00 0 0 
			 Peterborough city council 3,515 230,282.00 0 0 
			 Rochford district council 416 23,328.00 0 0 
			 South Bedfordshire district council 1,041 120,891.00 0 0 
			 South Cambridgeshire district council 669 38,749.00 0 0 
			 South Norfolk district council 737 50,040.00 0 0 
			 Southend-on-Sea borough council 1,736 79,052.00 0 0 
			 St. Albans city council 876 19,912.00 0 0 
			 St. Edmundsbury borough council 629 31,425.00 1 1 
			 Stevenage borough council 5,411 202,945.00 8 8 
			 Suffolk Coastal district council 311 13,146.00 0 0 
			 Tendring district council 578 24,960.00 0 0 
			 Three Rivers district council 368 22,292.00 0 0 
			 Thurrock borough council 1,571 96,054.16 (1)— (1)— 
			 Uttlesford district council 242 12,743.00 0 0 
			 Watford borough council 672 24,950.00 4 4 
			 Waveney district council 407 52,949.00 0 0 
			 Welwyn Hatfield district council 1,620 133,536.00 0 0 
			 Total 72,074 3,884,638.95 36 35 
			 (1 )Data not available. 
		
	
	
		
			  East of England  flycapture d ata for 2005-06 
			  East of England borough  Total number of incidents  Estimated clearance costs recorded (£)  Number of prosecutions taken to court  Number of successful prosecutions 
			 Babergh district council 342 16,827 1 1 
			 Basildon district council 8,586 417,754 1 1 
			 Bedford borough council 2,266 113,219 1 1 
			 Braintree district council 2,184 125,612 0 0 
			 Breckland district council 1,716 67,911 0 0 
			 Brentwood borough council 388 35,103 1 1 
			 Broadland district council 565 29,723 2 2 
			 Broxbourne borough council 2,641 139,969 16 15 
			 Cambridge City Council 1,321 87,757 0 0 
			 Castle Point borough council 544 22,552 0 0 
			 Chelmsford borough council 517 33,139 2 1 
			 Colchester borough council 141 5,206 0 0 
			 Dacorum borough council 270 34,472 0 0 
			 East Cambridgeshire district council 651 28,421 0 0 
			 East Hertfordshire district council 734 35,116 1 1 
			 Epping Forest district council 2,492 89,893 0 0 
			 Fenland district council 1,808 77,314 0 0 
			 Forest Heath district council 486 27,468 0 0 
			 Great Yarmouth borough council 2,543 221,944 2 2 
			 Harlow district council 2,220 131,731 0 0 
			 Hertsmere borough council 259 35,399 0 0 
			 Huntingdonshire district council 588 32265 0 0 
			 Ipswich borough council 376 19,168 6 6 
			 Kings Lynn and West Norfolk borough council 2,035 115,030 0 0 
			 Luton borough council 2,523 134,181 4 4 
			 Maldon district council 576 23,753 0 0 
			 Mid Beds district council 921 73,020 0 0 
			 Mid Suffolk district council 41 2,061 0 0 
			 North Hertfordshire district council 755 34,120 0 0 
			 North Norfolk district council 231 13,477 1 1 
			 Norwich city council 7,086 270,688 1 1 
			 Peterborough city council 7,125 411,121 0 0 
			 Rochford district council 419 21,317 0 0 
			 South Bedfordshire district council 750 82,387 0 0 
			 South Cambridgeshire district council 485 28,542 2 2 
			 South Norfolk district council 920 59,683 0 0 
			 Southend-on-Sea borough council 1,591 75,841 0 0 
			 St. Albans City Council 850 34,100 0 0 
			 St. Edmundsbury borough council 598 30,264 1 1 
			 Stevenage borough council 3,454 146,175 0 0 
			 Suffolk Coastal district council 388 14,084 0 0 
			 Tendring district council 523 22,790 0 0 
			 Three Rivers district council 560 31,712 0 0 
			 Thurrock borough council 1,320 82,922 5 5 
			 Uttlesford district council 240 10,268 0 0 
			 Watford borough council 947 25,984 1 1 
			 Waveney district council 962 61,539 0 0 
			 Welwyn Hatfield district council 2,874 249,887 0 0 
			 Total 71,812 3,882,910 48 46

Fly-tipping

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate the Environment Agency has made of the  (a) number of incidents and  (b) tonnage of fly-tipping and illegal dumping in England in each of the last three years.

Ben Bradshaw: Flycapture, the national database of fly-tipping incidents, was set up in 2004 by DEFRA, the Environment Agency and the Local Government Association, to record fly-tipping incidents dealt with by the Environment Agency and local authorities.
	Flycapture data show that, in England, 926,534 incidents were reported in the period from April 2004 to March 2005. There were 2,509,976 incidents reported from April 2005 to March 2006.
	A possible reason for the rise in fly-tipping offences recorded by Flycapture in its second year may simply be due to better reporting and a rise in the number of local authorities in England submitting regular returns. This number rose significantly, from 79.5 per cent. in April 2004 when the database was first launched, to 92 per cent. in 2005-06. Over time, the database will help us build up a more accurate picture of illegally dumped waste, as well as providing a useful management tool for local authorities in tackling the problem.
	Data for 2006-07 are not yet available but will be published this summer. Flycapture does not record fly-tipping tonnages.

Foie Gras

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what steps the Government take to ensure that the production of foie gras in England does not contravene UK animal welfare laws;
	(2)  what the Government's policy is on the production and sale of foie gras.

Ben Bradshaw: Foie gras is not produced in the UK and this Government have made their view very clear that the production of foie gras using force feeding gives rise to serious welfare concerns. If any production were to occur, Animal Health would be asked to investigate and advise on any contravention of UK animal welfare laws. The UK has the highest animal welfare standards we have ever had and they are among the highest in the world. This Government have been at the forefront of implementing higher standards domestically, and have been active on a European and international level in trying to improve standards.
	The free movement of goods is a well established principle in Community law and is enshrined in Part III, Title I of the Treaty Establishing the European Community (TEC). A unilateral ban by the UK on the import or sale of foie gras would contravene the provisions of the TEC and would be highly likely to result in proceedings being brought against the UK before the European Court of Justice.
	In addition, even if the Community law obstacles to introducing a restriction could be overcome, which is unlikely, the World Trade Organisation rules do not allow us to ban imports on the grounds of the welfare standards applying in third countries. Ultimately, the most effective action that can be taken is for individuals not to buy foie gras, if they dislike the way it is produced.

Genetic Modification Inspectorate: Manpower

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many full-time equivalent staff were employed in the Department's Genetic Modification Inspectorate in each of the last five years.

Ian Pearson: DEFRA's GM Inspectorate is based at the Central Science Laboratory in York. Details of full-time equivalent staff employed in the GM Inspectorate in each of the last five years are given as follows.
	
		
			   Full-time equivalents 
			 2002-03 2.04 
			 2003-04 2.00 
			 2004-05 5.01 
			 2005-06 3.40 
			 2006-07 1.94

Home Energy Efficiency Scheme

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the availability of Warm Front grants in  (a) England and  (b) Solihull; and how many people took up those grants in each area in the last period for which figures are available.

Ian Pearson: All private sector households in England, where the owner or tenant is in receipt of a Warm Front qualifying benefit, have the potential to qualify for Warm Front.
	Of the 253,079 households assisted in 2006-07, 463 were in the Solihull constituency.

Home Energy Efficiency Scheme

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how Warm Front has drawn up its pricing structure for the installations of new boilers and central heating systems; and whether his Department was  (a) consulted or  (b) involved in other ways in the development of the structure.

Ian Pearson: Both the labour and the material costs of all Warm Front work has been subject to a competitive tender (in line with EU regulations). My Department has been central to these processes.

Institute of Zoology: Finance

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what public funds were made available to the Institute of Zoology in each of the last five years.

Barry Gardiner: Funding by DEFRA to the Institute of Zoology to carry out research projects from 2002-03 to 2006-07 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Financial year  Amount  (£) 
			 2002-03 72,130 
			 2003-04 53,000 
			 2004-05 10,000 
			 2005-06 15,000 
			 2006-07 273,000

Lorries: Exhaust Emissions

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the impact of heavy goods vehicle traffic on  (a) air quality management areas,  (b) special protection areas,  (c) sites of special scientific interest and  (d) sites of importance for nature conservation.

Barry Gardiner: Road traffic has been identified as a significant source of pollution in 95 per cent. of the air quality management areas (designated by local authorities) declared so far.
	Local air quality assessments include a basic screening process to determine vehicles' impact on air quality. Typically, this considers traffic as consisting only of light and heavy duty vehicle types, assigning average levels of emissions to each of these in order to model their air quality impact on the surrounding area. Although this method does not apportion a fraction of the overall level of air pollutants directly to specific classes of vehicles, such as heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), it does ensure that their emissions are represented in the assessment.
	Should the screening process identify a likely failure of air quality objectives, a further, more detailed level of assessment is undertaken to establish whether an air quality management area is necessary. These methods of assessment all consider the specific contribution of HGVs to ambient air pollution.
	No specific national assessment of the impact of HGV traffic has been made for the areas mentioned in  (b), (c) and  (d). Terrestrial special protection areas are also notified as sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs). Natural England data on the reasons for unfavourable condition on SSSIs identifies that 18,524 hectares of SSSI land are adversely affected by air pollution. However the impacts of air pollution and identification of air pollution as an adverse activity affecting site condition are currently considered to be under reported. Furthermore SSSI condition is not disaggregated to identify different sources of air pollution. Individual assessments of the impact from air pollution have been made in respect of specific sites.

Mercury: EC Law

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what EU rules exist on regulation of the use of mercury in  (a) barometers and  (b) lightbulbs; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: A legislative review by the Commission in July 2003 did not identify any EU regulations pertaining specifically to the use of mercury in barometers. As a result, the Community Strategy Concerning Mercury, endorsed by Council in June 2005, contains a commitment to restrict the marketing for consumer use and health care of non-electrical or electronic measuring and control equipment containing mercury.
	The Restriction of Hazardous Substances (ROMS) Regulations banned the sale of compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) containing in excess of 5 milligrams (mg) of mercury per lamp from July 2006. Current mercury levels in CFLs are typically 4mg per lamp.
	From 1 July 2007, the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations will require systems to be in place allowing final holders and distributors to return waste CFLs free of charge. For non household CFL waste, the WEEE Regulations require that producers provide for separate collection.

Nuclear Power

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his estimate is of the average carbon price which would be required by the nuclear industry in order to make new nuclear power generation economically viable in the UK.

Malcolm Wicks: I have been asked to reply.
	As part of the 2007 Energy White Paper cost-benefit analysis on new nuclear power generation was published. This showed the balance between costs and benefits under alternative gas price, carbon price and nuclear cost scenarios. The analysis is available at: http://www.dti.gov.uk/files/file39525.pdf

Organic Food

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations he has received from the Soil Association on  (a) the 0.1 per cent. threshold for UK organic food and  (b) the EU Organic Food Standards adopted on 12 June.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 20 June 2007
	 During the consultation period the Soil Association expressed concern over certain aspects of the proposals to revise the EC regulation. These centred around the compulsory use of the EU logo and the provisions regarding the prohibition of GMs. We understand that the Soil Association would prefer no threshold to be specified in the organic regulation.

Organic Food

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations he has received on his decision to agree a compulsory EU logo for organic food.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 20 June 2007
	The proposals to introduce into the EC regulation an EU logo and a requirement to use it were issues on which we consulted. The conclusion of the Advisory Committee on Organic Standards was that it supported the proposals, as did the majority of stakeholder bodies. However, the Soil Association expressed concern and opposed the measures.

Organic Food

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to consult on his agreement with EU ministers to adopt common standards for organic food across the EU.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 20 June 2007
	We consulted widely on the new regulation between its presentation by the Commission at the end of 2005 and its agreement by the Council of Ministers on 12 June 2007. We plan to repeat this level of engagement during the development of the detailed implementing rules. The European Commission also plan to launch a public consultation on the implementing rules after the summer.

Pets: Electromagnetic Fields

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the potential effects on the health of domestic pets of radio waves from home wireless broadband systems; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: No such assessment has been made.

Polar Bears: Conservation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the Government's policy is on the conservation of polar bears.

Barry Gardiner: The United Kingdom is a Party to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). CITES, which is implemented within the EU by the Wildlife Trade Regulation (Council Regulation (EC) No 338/97), regulates trade in over 5,000 species of animals, including the polar bear (Ursus maritimus). Polar bears are listed under Appendix II as a species that is not necessarily now threatened with extinction, but may become so unless trade is closely controlled. Under the EU Regulation the international trade in polar bears and other vulnerable species is strictly regulated to ensure that it will not be detrimental to their wild populations.
	Currently, however, the chief threat to polar bears is the impact of climate change, which is felt particularly strongly in polar regions. If global temperatures continue to rise, Arctic summer sea ice could disappear almost entirely by the latter part of this century. The UK continues to take a strong lead internationally on climate change. In particular, we are working through the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the G8 to secure agreement to a long-term international framework that can address dangerous climate change.

Poultry: Animal Feed

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  whether poultry feed containing poultry parts may be imported into the UK;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effects of the feeding of dead poultry parts to poultry on the risk of infection of  (a) avian influenza and  (b) other conditions;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the tonnage of feed for poultry which was recycled from dead poultry parts in England in the most recent 12 months for which figures are available.

Ben Bradshaw: Under EU-wide Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE)-related feed ban controls, introduced in 2001, most processed animal proteins, including those derived from poultry, have been prohibited from use in any farmed animal feed. This builds on longer-standing controls on mammalian-derived processed animal proteins.
	Separate controls, in place since 2002 under the EU Animal By-Products Regulations, prohibit processed animal proteins from being recycled back to the same species they are derived from. These controls mean that feeding poultry using recycled processed animal protein derived from dead poultry is not permitted, either in the UK or in any other member state. Additionally, no poultry feed containing processed animal protein derived from poultry may be imported either into the UK, or into any other member state.
	Neither pigs nor poultry, as naturally omnivorous animals, have been shown in experiments to be orally susceptible to BSE, and no naturally occurring Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy have yet been identified in these species. Nevertheless, the principle of preventing intra-species recycling of processed animal protein in feed will continue to apply to all farmed animal species both now and in the future.

Recycling

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will place in the Library the data from WasteDataFlow showing  (a) the final destination of materials sent for recycling,  (b) tonnage sent for recycling and  (c) quantity sent for recycling but rejected/disposed of by each local authority in England in the last period for which figures are available.

Ben Bradshaw: I am arranging for information to be placed in the House Library showing  (a) the reported destination of municipal waste sent for recycling,  (b) the tonnage of municipal waste sent for recycling and  (c) the amount reported as being rejected, by each local authority in England. All data relate to municipal waste and are as reported by local authorities to WasteDataFlow for the 2005-06 financial year.

Seas and Oceans: Environment Protection

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what marine protected areas are in place; what percentage of the UK coastal and offshore waters they cover; what plans he has for the designation of further such areas; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: There are 182 protected areas in UK inshore waters with a marine element: 81 special protection areas with marine habitats for birds, 98 special areas of conservation with marine habitats or species, and three marine nature reserves. In total, these sites cover more than 1.8 million hectares, or 2.2 per cent. of UK waters.
	Work is under way to identify further sites in UK waters. To date, 19 areas for marine habitats have been surveyed and there are plans for additional survey of a further 10 areas. Between them, these areas cover up to 9,550,000 ha or 11 per cent. of UK waters. Seven areas for marine birds have also been surveyed, with plans for 30 more. A selection of these surveyed areas are likely to be recommended as marine protected areas under the habitats and birds directives, but the number and size of these sites is not yet known.
	The Marine Bill will also introduce a new mechanism to enable the designation of marine conservation zones. There have been a number of recommendations on what proportion of the UK marine area might be covered by such zones, including by the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution. However, there is currently insufficient scientific evidence to enable us to make an accurate assessment of the likely extent of a network of marine protected areas.
	To inform the impact assessment for the Bill, we have undertaken research investigating the likely extent of a network of marine conservation zones in UK waters under a range of different scenarios. The network configurations generated as part of the exercise all resulted in 14 to 20 per cent. coverage of the UK continental shelf. These figures were based on a number of scenarios, although none of these are necessarily representative of how the final network will look. The findings of this research have been published on the DEFRA website.

Sewers

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  when he plans the public consultation on the transfer of private sewers to water companies to begin;
	(2)  how many reviews and consultations there have been since 1997 on transferring private sewers to water companies.

Ian Pearson: An extensive review of private sewers began in 2001, prompted by the concerns of householders. A consultation in 2003 revealed a high level of support for transfer, and the Government concluded there was a clear case for action. Further informal consultation and research by DEFRA and key stakeholders explored customers' views, estimated the costs and bill impacts of transfer, developed implementation options and identified further questions for the next stage of consultation.
	Following the Government's decision to transfer private sewers to water and sewerage companies, we intend to publish a further public consultation on the implementation options over the summer.

Sewers: Lancashire

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many miles of sewers there are in  (a) Pendle and  (b) East Lancashire; what percentage is over 100 years old; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: DEFRA does not hold this information. United Utilities are responsible for the public sewers in Pendle and East Lancashire and would hold any available information relating to the age and length of sewers in this area.

Waste and Resources Action Programme

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what financial contribution was made by the Waste and Resources Action Programme to each local authority in England in each of the last three years.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested is currently being collated by the Waste and Resources Action Programme. I will write again to the hon. Member when it has been prepared and place a copy in the Library of the House.

Waste Management

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the timetable is for the implementation of the proposals in his Department's waste review.

Ben Bradshaw: The Waste Strategy for England 2007 contains a high-level implementation plan which summarises the key actions flowing from the Strategy, the timeframes for these actions, and responsibilities for delivery.
	Copies of the Strategy are available in the Libraries of the House and from DEFRA's website.

Waste Management

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the efficacy of water-based mechanical-biological treatment systems in the processing of solid urban waste.

Ben Bradshaw: My Department has not made an assessment specifically on the efficacy of water-based mechanical-biological treatment systems to process solid urban waste. However, studies have been carried out on behalf of DEFRA by Enviros Consulting on the mechanical-biological treatment of waste, including technologies that use water. The final reports, "Mechanical Biological Treatment and Mechanical Heat Treatment of Municipal Solid Waste" and "Advanced Biological Treatment of Municipal Solid Waste", are available from the DEFRA website.
	New technologies to treat waste have the potential to play an increasingly important role in extracting materials and energy from waste for recovery, as well as reducing the quantities remaining for disposal.

Water: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions his Department has had on water supply infrastructure to Peterborough with  (a) the Department of Communities and Local Government,  (b) Anglian Water and  (c) Rutland county council; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: I had a meeting with Anglian Water in December 2006 at which the company briefed me on its operations and gave me its views on a number of contemporary water policy matters. Improvements to resilience of supply, including to Peterborough, were among the many issues raised by the company but no discussion took place on specific infrastructure developments. Any such discussion would have been inappropriate since proposed infrastructure projects could come before Ministers for decision on appeal against refusal of planning permission. For that reason, my Department has had no other discussions with these or any other bodies specifically about water supply infrastructure serving Peterborough.

Whales: Conservation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with Japanese environment ministers regarding the international ban on whaling.

Ben Bradshaw: There have been no discussions between DEFRA Ministers and Japanese Environment Ministers on this issue.

Whales: Conservation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government are taking to ensure the conservation of whales.

Ben Bradshaw: The UK has been, and will remain, at the forefront of the fight to ensure that anti-whaling countries do not restart commercial whaling or reduce the level of protection for cetacean species around the world.
	At this year's annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), the UK and other anti-whaling countries were able to secure a resolution that reaffirmed the continued need for the IWC moratorium on commercial whaling. This resolution subsequently served us well in the Conference of Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, enabling us to defeat proposals aimed at eventually allowing trade in whale products to take place.

World Environment Day

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in what ways his Department publicised World Environment Day on 5 June.

Ian Pearson: I opened the £18 million River Quaggy Flood Alleviation scheme in Lewisham, London, with the chairman of the Environment Agency Sir John Harman. I asked people to mark World Environment Agency Day by identifying the one change they can make in their everyday lives to protect the environment and fight climate change. I also urged people to go to the Environment Agency's Mend the World online survey, which was the core component of the Environment Agency's campaign this year for WED. This has been asking people for the number one action they can do to tackle climate change, the one extra action they could take and what was stopping them from doing so.
	I also announced that the Government are to hold a second competition for youth Climate Change Champions to communicate climate change across the country. The nine inaugural champions, aged between 10 and 18, have been active in speaking out about climate change. Their efforts have reached an estimated 18 per cent. of the adult population and have engaged a large number of young people in the debate about what needs to be done. The competition will kick off in the summer, and nine new champions will be appointed in the autumn.
	DEFRA also released a new booklet, "Climate Change: Your Guide to Inspiring Action" to help organisations communicate the ways in which people can make changes in their lives to help fight climate change. The first guide has been downloaded 40,000 times and 6,000 hard copies have been distributed. It is available on
	www.climatechallenge.gov.uk
	I also highlighted a number of other initiatives that took place on WED, which have received DEFRA funding through the Climate Challenge Fund scheme. These included the launch of the Royal Society of Arts/Tesco Carbonator—an online CO2 calculator aimed at children aged 7-14 to raise awareness of climate change and the Royal Geographical Society's new website for 11 to 18-year-olds linking climate change to the geography curriculum. The fund provides financial support for communications projects seeking to achieve positive changes in public attitudes about climate change. The 83 projects cover a wide range of communications initiatives and media and are supported by £8.5 million of funding.

Zoos

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many zoos there are in England.

Barry Gardiner: My Department does not hold a definitive list of the number of zoos in England.
	A list of zoos is published on the DEFRA website, based on information supplied by English local authorities that administer the provisions of the Zoo Licensing Act 1981. The list provides information on 255 zoos currently operating in England.

Zoos: Animal Welfare

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government take to ensure that animals kept in zoos are not culled unnecessarily.

Ben Bradshaw: Under the Zoo Licensing Act 1981 the Secretary of State is required to specify detailed standards for zoo management that zoos are expected to comply with. The Secretary of State's Standards of Modern Zoo Practice are designed to ensure that the welfare of animals in zoos is adequately protected.
	The current standards state that euthanasia in zoos is an acceptable procedure only if an animal cannot be provided with captive conditions which meet the Five Principles of animal welfare, or if it cannot be released into the wild. These Five Principles are based on the 'Five Freedoms' drawn up for livestock by the Farm Animal Welfare Council, and they comprise: provision of food and water; provision of a suitable environment; provision of animal health care; provision of an opportunity to express most normal behaviour; provision of protection from fear and distress.
	The standards provide strict guidelines on circumstances where euthanasia is justifiable. These are:
	if, in the opinion of a vet, an animal is suffering from an incurable disease, or severe pain or suffering which cannot be alleviated.
	if a zoo has to close, euthanasia may be the only option for some animals and the most humane for others.
	if the animal poses a serious and unavoidable threat to human safety (e.g. because it has escaped);
	culling of surplus stock (including unacceptable sex ratios) where overcrowding compromises the welfare of the animals so that it is impractical to maintain them within the Five Principles.
	The standards further recommend that zoos have a policy, with appropriate protocols, which should be made available to zoo inspectors during their regular inspection visits under the Zoo Licensing Act. This should also form part of the zoo's audit process. Zoos are also expected to have in place an ethical review process, which would address issues such as the establishment's culling policy.

DEFENCE

Advertising

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on advertising with  The Guardian newspaper, including online, advertorials and advertising features, in the latest year for which figures are available.

Derek Twigg: The following table shows how much the Ministry of Defence has spent on advertising with  The Guardian newspaper in the last year. The Naval Service has not advertised in  The Guardian newspaper in Financial Year 2006-07. Details of Ministry of Defence civilian advertising expenditure are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			   Amount (£) 
			 RAF 41,790 
			 Army 34,000 
			 Naval Service 0

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of  (a) the capabilities of the Taliban in southern Afghanistan and  (b) whether the Taliban is being assisted by Iranian elements.

Des Browne: holding answer 16 May 2007
	The Taliban are currently able to threaten Afghan and international security forces in parts of eastern and southern Afghanistan by means of improvised explosive devices, suicide bombers and small-scale ambushes. They have not been able to hold territory in the face of offensive action by Afghan and international security forces.
	Iran is an influential neighbour in the region and has a strategic interest in a strong and stable Afghanistan. Nevertheless some support for the Taliban emanating from within Iran gives cause for concern, not least the illegal movements of munitions across the border with Afghanistan. Any Iranian links to illegal armed groups either through the supply of weapons, training or funding, would be completely unacceptable. We have made this clear to the Iranians and will continue to do so.

Armed Forces: Buildings

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total cost was of repairs and maintenance at properties occupied by the Assistant Chief of the General Staff in 2006.

Derek Twigg: Both the current and former Assistant Chief of General Staff occupied the same Substitute Service Accommodation in 2006 for which the Department paid a rent to a private provider. The provider is responsible for carrying out the required repairs and maintenance at the property, but is not required to provide MOD with details of the costs of doing so, which are included in the rent.

Armed Forces: Buildings

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total cost was of  (a) gardening and  (b) repairs and maintenance at properties occupied by (i) the Chief of the General Staff, (ii) the Adjutant-General and (iii) members of the Army Board in 2006.

Derek Twigg: The Army Board consists of the Secretary of State for Defence, the Minister of State for the Armed Forces, the Minister of State for Defence Equipment and Support, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence, the Chief of the General Staff, the Second Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Defence, Commander in Chief Land Command, Adjutant-General, Assistant Chief of the General Staff, the Director General of Land Equipment, Master General of the Ordnance and General Officer Commanding (Northern Ireland).
	Civilian members of the Army Board are not entitled to occupy defence accommodation.
	Military Army Board members are accommodated under a variety of arrangements. For only some of these arrangements are costs separately identifiable. In some cases such costs are included in the rent payable.
	However, available information shows that in the financial year 2005-06 the following amounts were spent:
	
		
			   CGS  AG  GOCNI  CinC Land  ACGS 
			 Maintenance and Repairs (£) 453 13,284.44 4,702.52 7,475.57 Included in rental cost 
			 Gardening Not available Not available Not available Not available Included in rental cost

Armed Forces: Council Tax

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the Government's plans to review and amend the council tax liability of members of the Armed Forces on active service abroad.

Derek Twigg: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 30 April 2007,  Official Report, column 1456W, to the hon. Member for Forest of Dean (Mr. Harper).

Armed Forces: Depleted Uranium

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will estimate the number of  (a) serving and  (b) retired UK service personnel who have embedded depleted uranium shrapnel.

Derek Twigg: We understand that less than five serving or retired UK service personnel carry embedded depleted uranium shrapnel following blue-on-blue incidents during Operation Telic.

Armed Forces: Deployment

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which  (a) Army,  (b) Royal Navy and  (c) Royal Air Force units were deployed for longer than four months in each of the last 10 years; and on how many occasions.

Adam Ingram: The information requested is as follows.
	 (a) The standard operational tour length for the Army is six months; therefore, over the last 10 years the majority of Army units (that is Infantry, Royal Armoured Corps, Royal Artillery, Royal Engineers, Royal Signals and Royal Logistic Corps) will have deployed for longer than four months. Based on data held at HQ Land Command the table illustrates when, between 2003 and 2007, Infantry, Royal Armoured Corps and Royal Artillery units deployed on an operation which was longer than four months. Deployments are noted in the year they commenced.
	
		
			Number of Deployments longer than four months 
			  Ser  Unit Deployed  2003  2004  2005  2006 ( 1) 2007 
			   Infantry  
			 1 1(st) Battalion Grenadier Guards 0 1 0 0 1 
			 2 1(st) Battalion Coldstream Guards 0 0 1 0 0 
			 3 1(st) Battalion Scots Guards 0 1 0 0 0 
			 4 1(st) Battalion Irish Guards 1 0 0 0 1 
			 5 1(st) Battalion Welsh Guards 0 1 0 1 0 
			 6 1(st) Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland (1 RS)(3) 2 (one of which commenced November 2002) 0 0 1 0 (As l Scots) 
			 7 1(st) Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland (1 KOSB)(3) 0 0 0 0  
			 8 2(nd) Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland 0 0 0 0 0 
			 9 3(rd) Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland 1 0 1 (2)0 0 
			 10 4(th) Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland 1 1 0 0 0 
			 11 5(th) Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland 0 1 1 0 0 
			 12 1(st) Battalion The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment 0 1 0 1 0 
			 13 2(nd) Battalion The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment 1 0 1 0 0 
			 14 1(st) Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers (2)1 0 1 0 0 
			 15 2(nd) Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers 0 0 (2)0 0 0 
			 16 1(st) Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment 0 0 1 0 1 
			 17 2(nd) Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment 1 0 0 1 0 
			 18 1(st) Battalion The King's Own Royal Border Regiment(4) 0 0 1 — — 
			 19 1st Battalion The King's Regiment(4) 0 (2)0 0 — — 
			 20 1(st) Battalion The Queen's Lancashire Regiment(4) 0 (2)0 (2)0 — — 
			 21 1(st) Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment — — — 0 0 
			 22 2(nd) Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment — — — 1 0 
			 23 1(st) Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment 0 1 0 1 0 
			 24 2(nd) Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment 0 1 0 1 0 
			 25 3(rd) Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment (2)0 1 0 0 0 
			 26 1(st )Battalion The Royal Welsh 0 1 0 0 1 
			 27 2(nd) Battalion The Royal Welsh 1 0 1 0 1 
			 28 1(st) Battalion The Cheshire Regiment (1 MERCIAN) 0 1 0 0 0 
			 29 1(st) Battalion The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment (2 MERCIAN) 1 1 0 0 1 
			 30 1(st) Battalion The Staffordshire Regiment (3 MERCIAN) 1 (commenced November 2002) 0 1 1 0 
			 31 1(st) Battalion The Rifles (1RGBW)(5) 1 (commenced December 2002) 0 1 0 0 (as 1 RIFLES 
			 32 1(st) Battalion The Rifles (1 DDLI)(5) 0 0 0 1  
			 33 2(nd) Battalion The Rifles 0 1 0 1 0 
			 34 3(rd) Battalion The Rifles (2)0 1 0 (2)0 0 
			 35 4(th) Battalion The Rifles 0 0 0 0 1 
			 36 5(th) Battalion The Rifles 1 0 0 1 0 
			 37 1(st )Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment 0 0 1 0 0 
			 38 1(st) Battalion The Parachute Regiment 1 0 1   
			 39 2(nd) Battalion The Parachute Regiment 1 (commenced September 2002) 0 1 0 0 
			 40 3(rd) Battalion The Parachute Regiment 1 0 (2)0 1 0 
			 41 1(st) Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles 1 0 1 0 0 
			 42 2(nd) Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles 1 0 1 0 0 
			
			   Royal Armoured Corps  
			 43 The Household Cavalry Regiment (2)0 1 0 (2)0 (2)0 
			 44 1(st) The Queen's Dragoon Guards 1 1 0 1 0 
			 45 The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards 1 0 1 0 0 
			 46 The Royal Dragoon Guards 0 1 0 0 0 
			 47 The Queen's Royal Hussars 1 (2)0 0 1 0 
			 48 9(th)/12(th) Royal Lancers (2)1 0 1 0 0 
			 49 The King's Royal Hussars 1 0 1 0 (2)0 
			 50 The Light Dragoons 0 0 1 (2)0 (2)0 
			 51 The Queen's Royal Lancers 0 1 0 1 0 
			 52 2(nd) Royal Tank Regiment (2)0 0 0 (2)0 (2)0 
			
			   Royal Artillery  
			 53 1 Regt RHA 0 1 1 0 1 
			 54 3 Regt RHA 2 0 1 0 0 
			 55 4 Regt RA 1 1 0 1 0 
			 56 5 Regt RA (2)0 (2)0 (2)0 (2)0 (2)0 
			 57 7 (Parachute) Regt RHA 1 (2)0 0 (2)0 0 
			 58 12 Regt RA 1 0 1 (2)0 0 
			 59 16 Regt RA (2)0 0 0 0 (2)0 
			 60 19 Regt RA 0 0 1 0 1 
			 61 22 Regt RA(7) 1 — — — — 
			 62 26 Regt RA 1 1 0 (2)0 0 
			 63 29 Commando Regt RA 0 0 0 1 0 
			 64 32 Regt RA (2)0 (2)0 (2)0 (2)0 (2)0 
			 65 39 Regt RA 0 0 0 1 (2)0 
			 66 40 Regt RA 0 0 0 1 0 
			 67 47 Regt RA 1 0 (2)0 1 0 
			 (1 )Up to and including deployments on Op TELIC 10 and Op HERRICK 6. (2) Subunits from this Regiment deployed for longer than 4 months in support of operations during this year. (3) 1 RS and 1 KOSB amalgamated to form 1 SCOTS in August 2006. (4) 1 KORBR, 1 KINGS and QLR amalgamated in July 2006 to form 1 LANCS and 2 LANCS. (5) 1 RGBW and 1 DDLI amalgamated in March 2007 to form 1 RIFLES. (6) 1 PARA transferred to DSF in August 2005. (7) 22 Regt RA disbanded in April 2004. 
		
	
	 (b) From 2003, the Royal Navy reports that the number of surface ships that were deployed for more than four months in each of the corresponding years were:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2003 40 
			 2004 32 
			 2005 34 
			 2006 38 
			 2007 41 
		
	
	Average fleet size over this period was around 72 ships (68 in 2003 to 77 in 2007). A more detailed breakdown could be provided at only disproportionate cost.
	 (c) The Royal Air Force does not deploy units in the same way as the Royal Navy and Army. The Royal Air Force allocates a tasking to an Expeditionary Air Wing for a given period of time to a given theatre of operations. An Air Wing once given the task will deploy personnel from a number of different squadrons on a trickle feed basis. Individual Separated Service figures are therefore used instead to measure turbulence and sustainability.

Armed Forces: Housing

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many armed forces personnel who have been discharged from service in the last 12 months are looking for housing; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many armed forces personnel have been affected by the issue of local connection when looking for housing upon being discharged from service during the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  how many armed forces personnel have reported being affected by housing shortages upon leaving the armed forces during the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The Ministry of Defence does not hold the information requested.
	On "local connection", my hon. Friend the Minister for Housing and Planning and I announced on 21 June 2007,  Official Report, columns 107-08WS, that the Government will be amending the housing legislation to ensure that Service personnel are put on an equal footing with others applying for social housing. Also, the MOD continues to work closely with DCLG and other partners to help prevent new Service leavers becoming homeless, and to provide a safety net for existing vulnerable and homeless ex-Service personnel.

Armed Forces: Housing

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many calls were received by the Modern Housing Solutions helpdesk on each day from 1 November 2005 to 31 May 2007; what advice the Defence Housing Executive gave to Modern Housing Solutions on the number of calls that would be expected to be made each day to the Modern Housing Solutions helpdesk; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the average length of calls made to the Modern Housing Solutions helpdesk over the period 1 November 2005 and 31 May 2007.

Derek Twigg: The Modern Housing Solutions (MHS) helpdesk has been in operation since MHS began delivering services under the Housing Prime Contract (HPC) in January 2006. Details of the number of calls received per day for the period 1 January 2006 to 31 May 2007 and details of the average length of calls made to the helpdesk for each day for the period 14 March 2006 to 31 May 2007 have been placed in the Library of the House. Details of the average call length before 14 March are not available.
	During the tendering process for the HPC the Department provided companies with details of a trial helpdesk which ran for three years prior to the commencement of the HPC and covered service families accommodation (SFA) in the north of England. Details of that trial, including the number of calls were provided.

Armed Forces: Housing

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what qualifications are required of staff on the Modern Housing Solutions helpdesk; and how many of the staff employed between 1 November 2005 and 31 May 2007 are serving or former services personnel.

Derek Twigg: In recruiting helpdesk staff, Modern Housing Solutions takes account of previous experience, knowledge, skills, attitude and other competencies such as communication skills and a strong customer focus but no formal qualifications are required.
	No service personnel are employed on the helpdesk. Information about previous membership of the armed services is not required from those working on the helpdesk, but there are several former service personnel (as well as spouses) employed within the helpdesk at different levels.
	All helpdesk staff receive two weeks initial induction training as well as regular refresher training.

Armed Forces: Mental Health Services

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of HM armed forces who  (a) lost limbs,  (b) suffered brain injury and  (c) have been identified with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have received an appointment for psychiatric support within six months of injury in each of the last five years; how many have been waiting more than six months; and how many have not been referred.

Derek Twigg: Those service personnel who have received a serious physical injury are treated as a matter of priority, most often at the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine and then at the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre. As part of their hospital care, they will receive psychological assessment and, if necessary, treatment can commence. If required, patients can be referred later to a military Department of Community Mental Health (DCMH).
	For those who do not have a serious physical injury, if their GP judges that they might be suffering from an operational related mental health condition (for example PTSD), then they will be referred to a DCMH for a detailed multidisciplinary assessment of their condition. If it is confirmed that the individual is suffering from a mental illness such as PTSD, they will receive specialist treatment at a DCMH or, if in-patient care is required, a Priory Group Facility.
	Our mental health services operate in line with best practice to provide community-based mental health care. Our model for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) treatment meets the standards set by the independent National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.
	We have established 15 military DCMHs across the UK (plus satellite centres overseas) to provide out-patient mental health care. The MOD's performance indicators require urgent cases to be seen within 24 hours and others within 20 working days of referral. The DCMHs function within these requirements and we are not aware of, nor would we expect there to be, any patients who had to wait in excess of six months for a referral.
	It remains the case that medical discharge from the UK armed forces due to psychological illness is low. Out of almost 180,000 Regular Service personnel only about 150, or less than 0.1 per cent. are discharged annually for mental health reasons, whatever the cause. Of these, only 20 to 25 meet the criteria to be diagnosed with PTSD.

Armed Forces: Pay

John Maples: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the ranges of pay are for all ranks in the armed services.

Derek Twigg: I refer the hon. Member to the Armed Forces Pay Review Body (AFPRB) and the independent Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB) which are available in the Library of the House.

Armed Forces: Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the earliest age is at which a member of the armed services can receive a full pension; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The expression 'full pension' is taken to mean a pension reflecting the maximum amount of reckonable service allowed under the pension scheme rules. As the majority of service personnel belong to either the armed forces pension scheme 1975 (AFPS 75) or the armed forces pension scheme 2005 (AFPS 05) my answer is in respect of those schemes.
	Under AFPS 75 the most an officer can accrue is 34 years reckonable service from age 21 and, for another rank, the limit is 37 years reckonable service from age 18. The earliest that a full pension can be paid is age 55 and this full pension is worth 48.5 per cent. of representative pay.
	Officers who leave having accrued at least 16 years reckonable service from age 21 under AFPS 75 and other ranks who leave having accrued at least 22 years from age 18 are entitled to a pension paid immediately upon discharge but this is a proportion of the full career pension. Those who leave with two or more years service but insufficient to qualify for this immediate pension are awarded a preserved pension payable at age 60 for service before 6 April 2006 and 65 for service after that date.
	Under AFPS 05 the most that a member can accrue is 40 years reckonable service with no minimum age limit. The normal full pension entitlement is age 55. A full pension under AFPS 05 is worth just over 57 per cent. of final pensionable pay.
	AFPS 05 members who leave before age 55 with two or more years reckonable service are entitled to a preserved pension payable at age 65. Those who have given at least 18 years reckonable service and attained age 40 are eligible for payments from the early departure payments scheme. Their pensions are preserved until age 65.
	Finally, members of the armed forces do not typically serve to age 55 or beyond. In 2005-06 approximately 10 per cent. of officers and approximately 7 per cent. of other ranks served long enough to receive a full pension.

Armed Forces: Radio Frequency Identification

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what use is made of radio frequency identifiers by the armed forces; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology is currently used by the armed forces solely in support of consignment tracking within the Joint Supply Chain.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people were recruited to  (a) Phase One,  (b) Phase Two and  (c) Phase Three under the Army Recruiting and Training Division Statement of Training Requirement draft Man Plan in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: pursuant to the reply, 4 June 2007, Official Report, c .  164W
	The figure provided in the table for Input to Phase One in 2005-06 was incorrect and should have read 12,108. The following additional footnote should also have been provided:
	Those who choose to join the Infantry complete a combined Phase One/Phase Two course called the Combat Infantry Course. They are shown in the Input to Phase One but as there is no separate entry to Phase Two they are not included in the Input to Phase Two figures.

Armed Forces: Training

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of foreign armed forces received  (a) training and  (b) hospitality at UK military establishments in each year since 2001, broken down by (i) nationality and (ii) reason for providing the training; and whether agreements applied to the provision of the training.

Adam Ingram: Since April 2001 22,307 members of foreign armed forces from 148 countries have received training at military establishments in the United Kingdom. All of these individuals will have received some form of hospitality offered by the training establishment, ranging from a simple welcoming reception to the provision of MOD service accommodation. This applies to all course places whether they are part or fully paid for by MOD, or whether the country in question pays for the training itself. The provision of training places is governed by various Memoranda of Understanding and agreements. The principal objective of this training activity is to use British Defence assets to discourage hostility abroad, build and maintain trust between states, and assist in the development of democratically accountable armed forces; thereby helping to make a significant contribution to conflict prevention and resolution.
	The breakdown of countries receiving training, the total numbers of students trained by financial year, and details of whether training is delivered under some form of agreement is tabulated as follows:
	
		
			  International defence training provided to overseas personnel since 2001 
			  Country  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06( 1)  2006-07  2007-to date  Agreements( 2) 
			 AfghanistanX X X X Yes 
			 Albania X X X X X   Yes 
			 Algeria X — X X X X X Yes 
			 Angola — X — X X X — — 
			 Antigua and Barbuda — X X X X X X Yes 
			 Argentina X X X X X X — Yes 
			 Armenia — X — X X X — — 
			 Australia X X X X X X X Yes 
			 Austria X X X X X X X Yes 
			 Azerbaijan — X X X X X — — 
			 Bahamas X X X X — — X — 
			 Bahrain X X X X X X X Yes 
			 Bangladesh X X X X X X X Yes 
			 Barbados X X X X X X X Yes 
			 Belgium X X X X X X X Yes 
			 Belize X X X X X X X Yes 
			 Bermuda X X X X X X — — 
			 Bhutan — — — X — — — — 
			 Bolivia — — X X — — — — 
			 Bosnia-Herzegovina — — X — — X — — 
			 Botswana X X X X X X X Yes 
			 Brazil X X X X X X X Yes 
			 Brunei X X X X X X X Yes 
			 Bulgaria X X X X X X X Yes 
			 Burundi — — — — X X — — 
			 Canada X X X X X X X Yes 
			 Chile X X X X X X X Yes 
			 China X X X X X X X Yes 
			 Colombia — X X X X X — Yes 
			 Congo — — — — — X — — 
			 Cote D'Ivoire — — — X — — — — 
			 Croatia X X X X X X — Yes 
			 Czech Republic X X X X X X X Yes 
			 Democratic Rep. Congo — — — — — X — — 
			 Denmark X X X X X X X Yes 
			 Djibouti — — — — X X — — 
			 Ecuador — — — — X — — — 
			 Egypt X X X X X X — Yes 
			 Eritrea — — — X — X — — 
			 Estonia X X X X X X X Yes 
			 Ethiopia — X X X X X — — 
			 Falkland Islands — — — X — — — — 
			 Fiji — X X X X X — — 
			 Finland X X X X X X X Yes 
			 France X X X X X X X Yes 
			 Gabon — — — — X X — — 
			 Gambia — — X X X X X — 
			 Georgia X X X X X X X Yes 
			 Germany X X X X X X X Yes 
			 Ghana X X — X X X X Yes 
			 Greece X X X X X X X Yes 
			 Grenada — X — — — — — Yes 
			 Guatemala X X X X X X — Yes 
			 Guyana X X X X X X X — 
			 Honduras — X X — — — — — 
			 Hong Kong 0 0 0 0 X X X Yes 
			 Hungary X X X X X X — Yes 
			 Iceland X — — X X X — — 
			 India X X X X X X X Yes 
			 Indonesia — — X X X X X Yes 
			 Iraq — — X X X X X Yes 
			 Israel X X X X X X — Yes 
			 Italy X X X X X X X Yes 
			 Jamaica X X X X X X X Yes 
			 Japan X X X X X X X Yes 
			 Jordan X X X X X X X Yes 
			 Kazakhstan — X X X X X — Yes 
			 Kenya X X X X X X X Yes 
			 Korea X X X X X X X — 
			 Kuwait X X X X X X X Yes 
			 Kyrgyzstan X X X — X — — Yes 
			 Latvia X X X X X X X Yes 
			 Lebanon X — X X X X X Yes 
			 Lesotho — — — — — X — — 
			 Libya — — — — X X — Yes 
			 Lithuania X X X X X X X Yes 
			 Luxembourg X X X X — X — — 
			 Macedonia X X X X — X — Yes 
			 Malawi X X X X X X X Yes 
			 Malaysia X X X X X X X Yes 
			 Maldives — — — — X X — — 
			 Malta X X X X X X X Yes 
			 Mauritania — X — — — — X — 
			 Mauritius — X X X — X — — 
			 Mexico — X X — — — — — 
			 Moldova X X X X X X — — 
			 Mongolia — — — — — X — — 
			 Morocco X X X X X X — Yes 
			 Mozambique X — X X X X — — 
			 Namibia — X X — X X X Yes 
			 NATO-Unspecified — — — — X X — Yes 
			 Nepal X X X X X X X Yes 
			 Netherlands X X X X X X X Yes 
			 New Zealand X X X X X X X Yes 
			 Nigeria X X X X X X X Yes 
			 Norway X X X X X X X Yes 
			 Oman X X X X X X X Yes 
			 Pakistan X X X X X X X Yes 
			 Palestine — — — — X X X — 
			 Panama — — — — X — — — 
			 Papua New Guinea X X — — — — — — 
			 Paraguay X X — — — — — — 
			 Peru X — — X X X — — 
			 Philippines X X X X X X — — 
			 Poland X X X X X X — Yes 
			 Portugal X X X X X X X Yes 
			 Qatar X X X X X X X Yes 
			 Republic of Ireland X X X X X X X Yes 
			 Romania X X X X X X X Yes 
			 Russia X X X X X X — — 
			 Rwanda X — — — X X X — 
			 Saudi Arabia X X X X X X X Yes 
			 Senegal X X X X X X — — 
			 Serbia and Mont. (Inc. Kosovo) X X X X X X — Yes 
			 Seychelles X X X X X X — — 
			 Sierra Leone X X X X X X — Yes 
			 Singapore X X X X X X X Yes 
			 Slovakia X X X X X X — Yes 
			 Slovenia X X X X X X — Yes 
			 South Africa X X X X X X X Yes 
			 Spain X X X X X X X Yes 
			 Sri Lanka X X X X X X — Yes 
			 St. Kitts and Nevis — — X — X — — Yes 
			 St. Lucia — — — — X — — Yes 
			 St. Vincent and The Grenadines X — X X X X — Yes 
			 Sudan — — — X — X X — 
			 Swaziland — — X — — — — — 
			 Sweden X X X X X X X Yes 
			 Switzerland X X X X X X — Yes 
			 Syria X X X X X X — — 
			 Tajikistan — — — X — — — — 
			 Tanzania X X X X X X X — 
			 Thailand X X X X X X — Yes 
			 Tonga — — — X X X —  
			 Trinidad and Tobago X X X X X X — Yes 
			 Tunisia — — X X X X — Yes 
			 Turkey X X X X X X X Yes 
			 Turkmenistan — — — X — — — — 
			 Uganda X X X X X X X Yes 
			 Ukraine X X X X X X X Yes 
			 United Arab Emirates X X X X X X X Yes 
			 USA X X X X X X X Yes 
			 Uruguay X — X X X X X Yes 
			 Uzbekistan — X X X — — — — 
			 Venezuela — — — X X — — — 
			 Vietnam — X — X X X — Yes 
			 Virgin Islands — — — — X — — Yes 
			 West Indies-Unspecified — — — — X X — — 
			 Yemen X X X X X X X Yes 
			 Zambia — — X X X X X — 
			 Totals 3,242 3,456 4,702 3,361 3,243 3,549 762 — 
			 Total all years 22,307 
			 (1 )2005-06 records may include countries invited on courses but not attending (change of database). (2 )Agreements encompass both informal understandings and written agreements. X = indicates forces personnel from that country attended training at UK military establishments.

Armed Forces: Training

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the University Officer Training Corps have on leaving university signed up as  (a) regulars and  (b) territorials and have then served on a tour of operation in each of the last four years for which figures are available.

Adam Ingram: The information requested is not held centrally. Officials are investigating whether it is possible to provide the number of individuals from the University Officer Training Corps who sign up for the Regular and Territorial Army on leaving university and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House. I will write to the hon. Member when investigations have concluded.

Army Base Repair Organisation: Bovington

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how much it will cost to demolish the main building at the Armour Centre at Bovington;
	(2)  what the cost is of the proposed new building at the Armour Centre, Bovington to replace the one to be demolished; and what method of financing the work will be used.

Derek Twigg: The MOD's Project Single Living Accommodation Modernisation Prime Contractor will shortly seek competitive quotes for the demolition of the 1930's "Sandhurst" block (B44) at Bovington. However, we anticipate that the cost of this work will be in the region of £1 million.
	The estimated construction cost of the proposed new Single Living Accommodation at Bovington, which will deliver 312 bedspaces, to replace the demolished building, is between £13.6 million and £14.7 million. This work is due to be completed by March 2009 and will be financed as part of the Core Works of Project SLAM.

Army Board

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost has been in the last 12 months of answering questions tabled by the hon. Member for North Durham (Mr. Jones) on the running costs of the offices and official residences of members of the Army Board and other senior Army officers; and if he will estimate the number of man hours which have been spent on this task.

Derek Twigg: We do not maintain precise records of the cost or the number of man hours involved in responding to specific questions. However, the main effort in answering the relevant questions involved a team of one senior and six junior officials who have devoted roughly 50 per cent. of their time to this task since 31 January. This equates to approximately £40,000, which falls within the disproportionate cost limit.

Army Board

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many internal flights were taken by the Ministerial members of the Army Board in 2006; how many of these flights were with  (a) military and  (b) commercial carriers; and what the cost was of each flight.

Derek Twigg: Ministerial members of the Army Board undertook 25 internal flights with military carriers and 27 internal flights with commercial carriers in 2006. The cost of each internal flight is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Defence Minister  Military flight (£)  Commercial flights (£) 
			 Secretary of State 4,198.11 317 
			  2,345.99 163 
			  1,938.76 317 
			  1,605.15 317 
			  4,543.00 317 
			  4,824.84 158 
			  578.98 411 
			  4,052.86 411 
			  — 159 
			  — 158 
			  — 195 
			  — 158 
			  — 237 
			  — 237 
			  — 114 
			  — 122 
			  — 159 
			  — 158 
			
			 Minister for the Armed Forces 3,280.89 297.24 
			  237.94 240.10 
			  — 175.40 
			  — 243.20 
			  — 138.98 
			  — 143.40 
			
			 Minster for Defence Equipment and Support (former Defence Procurement) 3,986.82 490 
			  3,333.77 734 
			  4,631.85 — 
			  1,929.94 — 
			  2,508.93 — 
			  2,894.91 — 
			  1,929.93 — 
			  1,930 — 
			
			 Under-Secretary of State 1,534.84 227.20 
			  2,261.87 — 
			  1,929.94 — 
			  2,894.91 — 
			  4,824.84 — 
			  1,666.66 — 
			  2,300 —

Army Board

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what contribution the offices of non-ministerial members of the Army Board are making to the savings outlined for his Department in the Gershon Review.

Derek Twigg: None. The Department's efficiency programme in response to the Gershon Review is made up of a small number of high value initiatives.

Army Board

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the costs of running the households of non-ministerial members of the Army Board were included in considerations of possible cost savings under the Gershon Review.

Derek Twigg: No. The Department's efficiency programme in response to the Gershon Review is made up of a small number of high value initiatives.

Army Board: Flowers

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total expenditure was on flowers for the residential accommodation provided for  (a) members of the Army Board,  (b) the Chief of the General Staff,  (c) the Assistant Chief of the General Staff and  (d) the Adjutant-General in 2006.

Derek Twigg: Of the 12 members of the Army Board, four have Official Service Residences (OSR): the Chief of the General Staff, Commander in Chief Land, the Adjutant-General, and the General Officer Commanding Northern Ireland. Flowers can be provided only for OSRs as part of the cost of official entertainment.
	There is no requirement to hold information regarding official entertainment costs to the level of detail that would allow the cost of flowers to be identified, and the information requested is not therefore available for the Chief of the General Staff and the Commander in Chief Land. For the Adjutant General expenditure on flowers was £72.12 and for the General Officer Commanding (Northern Ireland) it was £190 during 2006.

Army Board: Pollution Control

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps are being taken to reduce the carbon footprint of the  (a) Army Board,  (b) Chief of the General Staff,  (c) Assistant Chief of the General Staff and  (d) Adjutant-General.

Derek Twigg: The Ministry of Defence has environmental policies, procedures and targets in place to quantify and reduce its carbon dioxide emissions. Examples include travel avoidance, reducing energy use in buildings and improved building standards. These arrangements apply to all non-operational defence activity, including that of the Army Board.

Army: Administration

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's Army General Administrative Instruction 48.

Derek Twigg: Yes. I will arrange for a copy to be placed in the Library of the House.

Ballistic Missile Defence

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made in developing a Space Based Infra-Red System  (a) for the United Kingdom and  (b) in collaboration with the United States.

Des Browne: The Space Based Infra Red System is a US programme with no involvement by the UK.

Combat Stress: Finance

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what funding Combat Stress received from his Department in each of the last five years; and what funding is expected to be provided in each of the next three years.

Derek Twigg: For MOD expenditure from 2001 to 2006 in respect of individual remedial treatment of qualifying war pensioners at Combat Stress Homes in England, I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave on 12 December 2006,  Official Report, column 933W, to the hon. Member for Dunfermline and West Fife (Willie Rennie). MOD expenditure to Combat Stress for 2006-07 was £2.5 million.
	Separate funding is provided from NHS Scotland for war pensioners' treatment at Hollybush House.
	With regard to future funding I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 20 February 2007,  Official Report, column 621W, to my hon. Friend the Member for North Ayrshire and Arran (Ms Clark).

Corsham Railway Station

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consideration he has given to the construction of a railway station at Corsham to service the military base there.

Adam Ingram: The MOD supports the reopening of the Corsham railway station. The Inteq consortium, which is the preferred bidder for the Corsham Development Project, has reflected this in its planning application to the North Wiltshire district council.
	However, both the MOD and Inteq recognise that this is primarily a matter for the railway authorities to determine.

Defence Storage and Distribution Agency

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what he expects the Defence Storage and Distribution Agency site at Colchester to be used for after its closure; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: No decision has yet been made on the use of the Defence Storage and Distribution Agency site at Colchester, ownership of which is expected to transfer across to Colchester Garrison at the end of March 2008.

Defence: Corruption

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether  (a) he and  (b) his Department has been informed of any breaches of UK anti-corruption and anti-bribery regulations in relation to UK defence sales since May 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: There have been no convictions for breaches of UK anti-corruption and anti-bribery regulations in relation to UK defence sales since May 1997.

Defence: Procurement

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was spent on procurement of each of the systems purchased by each Service in each of the last five years.

Adam Ingram: After clarification that the question referred to large new equipment projects undertaken by the Defence Procurement Agency, the following table is provided based on capital expenditure incurred after the main investment decision has been taken including conflict prevention. While we do not collect costs on a Service basis, we have indicated in the table the relevant Service for the major projects listed. It has not been possible to show costs prior to Financial Year 2003-04 as this data is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  DPA capital expenditure for four years by project 
			  £ million 
			Financial year  
			  Description  Service  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  Grand total 
			 Typhoon Air 694 854 953 1,028 3,529 
			 T45 Fleet 554 596 508 536 2,194 
			 Bowman Tri-Service 297 517 499 234 1,547 
			 Astute Class Submarines Fleet 351 350 458 399 1,558 
			 Nimrod MRA4 Air 345 355 232 214 1,146 
			 Future Joint Combat Aircraft Air 120 135 388 217 860 
			 Astor Air 116 61 101 57 335 
			 LSDA Fleet 125 73 53 76 327 
			 Projects with spend less than £325 million over the four years — 1,793 1,781 2,192 2,770 8,536 
			 Total expenditure — 4,395 4,722 5,384 5,531 20,032

Departments: BAE Systems

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what  (a) logistical and  (b) other support his Department provides to BAE Systems for its involvement with US industrial partners in the development of missile defence technology;
	(2)  what  (a) logistical and  (b) other support his Department provides to BAE systems for its involvement with US industrial partners in contributing to the development of missile defence technology.

Des Browne: Through its participation in the UK Missile Defence Centre the Department provides assistance and advice to UK industry (including BAE Systems) in expanding their involvement in the US missile defence programme. No logistical support is provided to BAE Systems in this area of work.

Departments: Contracts

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what the total cost to the public purse was of each of the contracts between Rolls Royce and his Department in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what the total cost to the public purse was of each of the contracts between Smiths Group and his Department in each of the last five years;
	(3)  what the total cost to the public purse was of each of the contracts between Cobham Group and his Department in each of the last five years;
	(4)  what the total cost to the public purse was of each of the contracts between Hampson Industries and his Department in each of the last five years;
	(5)  what the total cost to the public purse was of each of the contracts between Meggitt and his Department in each of the last five years;
	(6)  what the total cost to the public purse was of each of the contracts between UMECO plc and his Department in each of the last five years;
	(7)  what the total cost to the public purse was of each of the contracts between Ultra Electronics and his Department in each of the last five years;
	(8)  what the total cost to the public purse was of each of the contracts between Chemring Group plc and his Department in each of the last five years;
	(9)  what the total cost to the public purse was of each of the contracts between VT Group and his Department in each of the last five years;
	(10)  what the total cost to the public purse was of each of the contracts between QinetiQ Group and his Department in each of the last five year;
	(11)  what the total cost to the public purse was of each of the contracts between Thales and his Department in each of the last five years;
	(12)  what the total cost to the public purse was of each of the contracts between EADS and his Department in each of the last five year;
	(13)  what the total cost to the public purse was of each of the contracts between GKN plc and his Department in each of the last five years;
	(14)  what defence procurement contracts are in operation between his Department and GKN plc; what is being purchased by his Department under each; and how much each contract is worth;
	(15)  what defence procurement contracts are in operation between his Department and Thales; what is being purchased by his Department under each; and how much each contract is worth;
	(16)  what defence procurement contracts are in operation between his Department and EADS; what is being purchased by his Department in each case; and how much each contract is worth;
	(17)  which defence procurement contracts are in operation between his Department and  (a) Chemring Group,  (b) Cobham and  (c) Hampson Industries; what is being purchased by his Department in each case; and what the value is of each contract;
	(18)  which defence procurement contracts are in operation between his Department and Umeco; what is being purchased by his Department in each case; and how much each contract is worth;
	(19)  which defence procurement contracts are in operation between his Department and Rolls Royce; what is being purchased by his Department in each case; and how much each contract is worth;
	(20)  which defence procurement contracts are in operation between his Department and QinetiQ Group; what is being purchased by his Department in each case; and how much each contract is worth;
	(21)  which defence procurement contracts are in operation between his Department and Meggitt; what is being purchased by his Department in each case; and how much each contract is worth;
	(22)  which defence procurement contracts are in operation between his Department and Ultra Electronics; what is being purchased by his Department in each case; and how much each contract is worth;
	(23)  which defence procurement contracts are in operation between his Department and Smiths Group; what is being purchased by his Department in each case; and how much each contract is worth;
	(24)  which defence procurement contracts are in operation between his Department and VT Group; what is being purchased by his Department in each case; and how much each contract is worth.

Adam Ingram: According to central records the number and total value of direct contracts the Ministry of Defence has with each supplier is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Organisation  Number of contracts  Value (£ million) 
			 Rolls Royce plc 211 4,422,939 
			 Smiths Group 90 130,464 
			 Cobham 108 602,082 
			 Meggitt 56 64,318 
			 Ultra Electronics 95 465,784 
			 Chemring Group 24 59,424 
			 VT Group 68 1,586,867 
			 QinetiQ 779 5,117,847 
			 Thales 408 3,689,000 
			 EADS 48 489,520 
			 GKN 22 8,460 
		
	
	Central records do not contain any information in respect of direct MOD contracts with Hampson Industries and Umeco.
	The precise value of each contract is commercially confidential but the approximate value of each contract is indicated in an extensive table which I have placed in the Library of the House. The number excludes small-value local purchase orders, contracts placed on behalf of other nations and other Government Departments and those where the suppliers are a subcontractor or a member of an industry consortium. The total cost to the public purse of each contract in each of the past five years is also commercially confidential. However, the scale of total payments made to the major divisions of each supplier, over the past five financial years on all direct contracts, as published by the Defence Analytical Services Agency, is shown as follows.
	
		
			  £ million 
			  Organisation  2001-02  2002- 0 3  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Rolls Royce plc Over 250 Over 250 250-500 100-250 100-250 
			 Rolls-Royce Marine Power Operations Ltd. (1)— (1)— 5-10 5-10 5-10 
			 Rolls-Royce Power Engineering plc (1)— (1)— (1)— 100-250 100-250 
			   
			 Smiths Aerospace Ltd. 10-25 10-25 10-25 10-25 10-25 
			 Smiths Detection-Watford Ltd. (1)— 5-10 10-25 (1)— 5-10 
			   
			 Cobham plc 50-100 50-100 50-100 (1)— (1)— 
			 Cobham Fluid Systems Ltd. (1)— (1)— 5-10 (1)— (1)— 
			   
			 Hampson Industries (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			   
			 Meggitt Holdings plc 5-10 5-10 10-25 (1)— (1)— 
			 Meggitt (UK) Ltd. (1)— (1)— (1)— 5-10 5-10 
			   
			 UMECO (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			   
			 Ultra Electronic Holdings plc 25-50 25-50 25-50 25-50 25-50 
			   
			 Chemring Group plc 5-10 5-10 (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			   
			 Vosper Thornycroft Holdings Ltd. 25-50 25-50 25-50 (1)— (1)— 
			 VT Aerospace 25-50 25-50 25-50 25-50 25-50 
			 VT Services 25-50 25-50 (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 VT Integrated Services Ltd. (1)— (1)— 25-50 25-50 25-50 
			 VT Maritime Affairs Ltd. (1)— (1)— 10-25 (1)— 10-25 
			 VT Halmatic Ltd. (1)— (1)— 5-10 10-25 10-25 
			 VT Merlin Communications Ltd. (1)— (1)— 5-10 10-25 10-25 
			   
			 QinetiQ Ltd. Over 250 Over 500 Over 500 Over 500 Over 500 
			   
			 Thales Air Defence Ltd. 50-100 50-100 50-100 50-100 50-100 
			 Thales Defence Ltd. 50-100 50-100 50-100 50-100 (1)— 
			 Thales Optronics Ltd. 25-50 25-50 25-50 50-100 50-100 
			 Thales Underwater Systems Ltd. 25-50 50-100 50-100 50-100 50-100 
			 Thales Avionics Ltd. 10-25 25-50 10-25 5-10 5-10 
			 Thales Communications Ltd. 10-25 10-25 25-50 10-25 10-25 
			 Thales Training and Simulation Ltd. 10-25 10-25 5-10 5-10 5-10 
			 Thales Missile Electronics Ltd. 5-10 10-25 (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 Thales Naval Ltd. (1)— (1)— 10-25 25-50 10-25 
			 Thales Training and Simulation (Merlin) Ltd. (1)— (1)— 10-25 10-25 10-25 
			 Thales Training and Simulation (ACE) Ltd. (1)— (1)— 10-25 5-10 5-10 
			 Thales UK Ltd. (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 100-250 
			   
			 EADS Defence Systems and Electronics (UK) Ltd. 5-10 (1)— 10-25 5-10 5-10 
			 EADS Defence Systems (1)— 5-10 (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 EADS Astrium Ltd. (1)— (1)— 5-10 5-10 (1)— 
			 EADS Defence and Security Systems Ltd. (1)— (1)— (1)— 50-100 25-50 
			 Eurocopter (1)— (1)— (1)— 25-50 10-25 
			 EADS Deutschland GmbH (1)— (1)— (1)— 10-25 (1)— 
			   
			 GKN plc 50-100 25-50 (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 (1 )Indicates either that payments were under £5 million for the year or that certain divisions of some of the companies might not have existed at the time. 
		
	
	The MOD principally purchases power systems for land, sea and air applications from Rolls Royce. This includes: aero engines for combat, light attack, trainer, transport, helicopters, maritime reconnaissance and aerial surveillance aircraft; gas turbines for surface marine propulsion and nuclear propulsion for the Royal Navy's submarine fleet; fully integrated power systems including design and integration, ship control and instrumentation, procurement and equipment supply, installation and commissioning, integrated logistics and platform support.
	The MOD principally purchases chemical, radiation, biological and nuclear detection systems from Smiths Group (following the sale of Smiths Aerospace to General Electric). This includes the supply and refurbishment of chemical agent detectors, lightweight chemical agent detectors, man portable chemical agent detectors, chemical detectors and Otto fuel monitors.
	The MOD principally purchases equipment and specialised systems for air applications from Cobham. This includes aircraft antennas, communications, navigation and air refuelling equipment (including drogues and receptors), and stores carriage and release. The company also operates, maintains and modifies aircraft for military training and special operations.
	Meggitt provides airframe and engine diagnostics, ammunition handling equipment and elastomeric ducting systems for the MOD.
	The MOD principally purchases electronic and electromechanical systems that include high integrity sensing, control, communication and display systems, with an emphasis on integrated information technology solutions, from Ultra Electronics.
	Chemring provides specialist decoy countermeasures, energetic materials and products (including demolition materials and services) for the MOD.
	The MOD purchases land, sea and air applications from VT Group. This also includes tri-service support, training, platform and equipment manufacture, maintenance and facilities management. VT Communications provides Very low frequency received signal and high frequency communications services to the MOD. They also provide electronic control systems for naval and commercial vessels, equipment for motion control, stabilisation, navigation and propulsion systems.
	QinetiQ provides a broad range of services to the UK MOD. QinetiQ owns and manages large scale test and trials facilities and provides managed services of strategic importance to MOD. It carries out more than half of the applied research and the strategic research funded centrally by the MOD and provides support to the MOD on equipment procurement. QinetiQ is involved in almost all major MOD programmes, helping to minimise and then manage technical risk and providing impartial assessment, test and evaluation services.
	Thales provides a broad range of services to the MOD including land, sea and air applications. These include helicopter avionics, communications, radar, cockpit integration, surveillance, missile design and electronics, early warning, air command and control, naval design and sonar systems, integrated command, control, computers, communications and intelligence, thermal imaging, fire control and communications, military training, consultancy, simulation, network security and cryptography.
	EADS provides military aircraft, including special mission aircraft, helicopters and undertakes civil and military aircraft conversion to the MOD. It also provides missiles systems and defence electronics, satellites and orbital infrastructures and launchers.
	GKN provides aerospace special products, including cabin and cock-pit windows, fuel tanks and fuel tank assemblies to the MOD.
	Information on precisely what equipment the MOD is purchasing from each of the 1,909 contracts could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Corsham

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the number of motor transport journeys made by military personnel from Corsham to Chippenham station in the last 12 months.

Derek Twigg: A survey of journeys undertaken by motor transport vehicles conveying military and civil service personnel from the Corsham defence estate to Chippenham railway station in the last 12 months indicates a daily average of six return journeys with passenger numbers ranging from one to eight, or approximately 1,560 journeys over a 12-month period.

Departments: Corsham

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many rail warrants were issued to his Department's personnel based in Corsham in each of those years for which records are available; for which journeys; and to what value.

Derek Twigg: The number of rail warrants issued by the travel office of the Joint Support Unit Corsham which provides logistical support to the MOD's Corsham-based organisations is as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2004 3,402 
			 2005 4,165 
			 2006 4,969 
			 2007 (1)2,025 
			 (1) To week ending 22 June. 
		
	
	These warrants relate to journeys commenced at Bristol, Bath, Chippenham and Swindon railway stations. A further average of 10 warrants per week is issued for journeys commencing at other railway stations in the United Kingdom.
	The average cost per ticket is £179.50 on extant ticket prices. Typically more than 70 per cent. of the tickets are issued for travel from Chippenham railway station.

Departments: Corsham

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) military,  (b) contractor and  (c) consultant staff are based at each of his Department's stations in Corsham.

Derek Twigg: The total number of staff at the Corsham estate is 1,938.
	The distribution and breakdown of staff (including civilians) across the estate is as follows:
	
		
			   Copenacre  Basil Hill  Rudloe  Media Park  Hawthorn 
			 Military 168 315 25 8 20 
			 Civilian 413 300 159 114 12 
			 Consultant 22 7 2 0 0 
			 Contractors 104 100 0 0 169 
			 Total 707 722 186 122 201

Departments: Corsham

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence by what transport mechanisms he expects employees to travel to and from his Department's sites in Corsham; what account he has taken of the environmental impacts of that travel; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: Due to the rural nature of the location and the widespread home locations of staff, emphasis is placed on reducing the number of single occupancy vehicles from the present 82 per cent. to 64 per cent. by 2011 and 48 per cent. by 2013 by operating car-sharing. In addition, the local MOD Travel Plan Co-ordinator will be working with other transport operators to provide bus and train services closer to the Corsham sites.
	The environmental impact of these changes will be to reduce the number of cars travelling to and from the site from the present 1,800 (including visitors) to a maximum of 1,300.

Departments: Cost Effectiveness

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to publish an updated version of his Department's technical note on efficiency.

Adam Ingram: There is no intention to publish an updated version of the MOD's Efficiency Technical Note which was published on the Department's website in December 2005.

Departments: Energy

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many energy saving light bulbs were purchased by his Department for use on the departmental estate in  (a) 2005 and  (b) 2006.

Derek Twigg: Light bulbs for general use on the Defence estate are procured by contractors on MOD's behalf. Information on the proportion of the various types purchased is not held centrally but Departmental policy requires suppliers procuring goods on MOD's behalf to consider environmental standards and use products which are known to have a lower environmental impact.
	Figures are however, available for energy saving light bulbs provided for operational requirements:
	11,800 purchased 2005
	2,510 purchased 2006
	The 2005 figure covered the initial purchase of these items and is higher than that for 2006 which covered our replenishment needs.

Departments: Foreign Relations

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Memoranda of Understanding are in force as a result of agreements with foreign governments entered into by Ministers in his Department; and what executive actions each entails.

Des Browne: Comprehensive records of Memoranda of Understanding are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, it is estimated that there are in the region of £3,000 Memoranda of Understanding and similar arrangements relating to international defence co-operation in force at present. These cover all aspects of international defence co-operation, such as detailing the general arrangements for co-operation, the organisation of deploying on, and hosting of, international training and exercises, the exchange of personnel and units, equipment and research collaboration and the protection of classified information. Details of individual defence co-operation Memoranda of Understanding are not normally released into the public domain without the consent of participating countries.

Departments: Home Working

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people in his Department have been allowed to work from home for part of the week in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement on his Department's policy on home working.

Derek Twigg: It is Ministry of Defence policy that all staff can request to work flexibly to maintain a work life balance. All requests must be considered and alternative working patterns, including home working, are open to all staff if the business needs can be met. The agreements are either made locally between the individuals and their line managers and funding to provide equipment to work at home is also authorised locally. No central register of home workers exists and the information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Malvern

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was received from the sale of North Site in Malvern, Worcestershire.

Derek Twigg: The sale was completed in February 2005 and a receipt of £15 million was received for the site with the potential for further payments to follow.

Departments: Manpower

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people granted  (a) temporary part-time,  (b) temporary full-time,  (c) permanent part-time and  (d) permanent full-time contracts of employment in his Department in each of the last three years were (i) male, (ii) female, (iii) registered disabled and (iv) aged 55 years or over.

Derek Twigg: The following tables give details of civilian personnel recruited to the Ministry of Defence on a permanent or temporary contract in each of the last three financial years.
	
		
			  Ministry of Defence( 1) : Civilian Inflow by Gender, Disability and Age 
			  Headcount 
			   Financial Year 2004-05 
			   Male  Female  Disabled( 2)  Staff aged 55 and over 
			 Temporary (casual) part-time 80 240 (3)— 50 
			 Temporary (casual) full-time 1,030 940 10 120 
			 Permanent part-time 140 500 10 60 
			 Permanent full-time 4,240 2,160 60 670 
			 Total 5,490 3,840 80 900 
		
	
	
		
			  Headcount 
			   Financial Year 2005-06 
			   Male  Female  Disabled( 2)  Staff aged 55 and over 
			 Temporary (casual) part-time 70 180 (3)— 40 
			 Temporary (casual) full-time 860 820 10 110 
			 Permanent part-time 80 340 (3)— 60 
			 Permanent full-time 2,620 1,210 20 360 
			 Total 3,640 2,550 40 570 
		
	
	
		
			  Headcount 
			   Financial Year 2006-07 
			   Male  Female  Disabled( 2)  Staff aged 55 and over 
			 Temporary (casual) part-time 70 170 (3)— 50 
			 Temporary (casual) full-time 830 720 10 110 
			 Permanent part-time 90 350 (3)— 70 
			 Permanent full-time 2,340 1,030 20 350 
			 Total 3,330 2,270 30 570 
			 (1) This includes industrial and non-industrial staff employed by the Ministry of Defence and Trading Funds, but excludes Royal Fleet Auxiliaries and locally engaged civilians.  (2) All disability data are self declared by employees.  (3) Denotes less than 10.  Note: Due to the rounding methods used, totals may not always equal the sum of the parts. When rounding to the nearest 10, numbers ending in 5 have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.   Source:  DASA (Civilian).

Departments: Manpower

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of staff in his Department are  (a) male,  (b) female,  (c) registered disabled and  (d) aged 55 or over.

Derek Twigg: The information requested is set out as follows:
	
		
			  Ministry of Defence : gender, disability and age: 1 April 2007 
			   Percentage 
			 Male 63.9 
			 Female 36.1 
			 Percentage disabled 5.5 
			 Percentage of staff aged 55+ 22.1 
			  Notes:  1. This includes industrial and non-industrial staff employed by the Ministry of Defence and Trading Funds, but excludes Royal Fleet auxiliaries and locally engaged staff.  2. Disabled personnel as a percentage of total (exe unknown).  3. Due to the rounding methods used, totals may not always equal the sum of the parts. When rounding to the nearest 10, numbers ending in 5 have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.  Source:  DASA(Civilian)

Departments: Marketing

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which advertising and marketing campaigns were run by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies in each of the last five years; which external agencies were involved; and what the cost was of each campaign.

Derek Twigg: I refer the right hon. Member to the answers I gave on 6 June 2007,  Official Report, column 488W and 12 June 2007,  Official Report, column 936W, to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps).

Departments: Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the current rate of employer contribution is to each public sector pension scheme for which his Department has responsibility; what the revenue impact would be of capping the employer contribution to each such scheme at 14 per cent.; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The employer contribution rate for the main armed forces pension schemes is currently 24.8 per cent. of the total pay-bill or 25.6 per cent. of pensionable pay.
	The armed forces pension schemes are non contributory for employees and there is no employers cap on the scheme therefore the issue of a revenue impact resulting from a 14 per cent. cap is theoretical and would incur disproportionate costs to calculate.

Departments: Remploy

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what  (a) services and  (b) products his Department has procured from Remploy in the last 12 months; and at what cost.

Adam Ingram: Central records indicate that the Ministry of Defence had six directly placed contracts with Remploy that remained extant at some time during the last 12 months. They related to services and products involving the manufacture and supply of combat clothing (including nuclear biological and chemical suits, headover and inner-knitted overalls). The value and costs of each contract are commercially confidential. However, the value band of each contract is indicated in the following table:
	
		
			  Category  Contract date  Contract number 
			 Below £100,000 31 January 2007 S&ADC/6758 
			 £5,000,000 to £10,000,000 11 August 2005 DC1AESL/0237 
			 £5,000,000 to £10,000,000 13 April 2004 DC1AESL/0127 
			 £100,000 to £500,000 29 March 2004 DC1AESL/0111 
			 Below £100,000 5 January 2004 COMM3A/4071 
			 £100,000 to £500,000 2 July 1998 SMC11CR/6340

Departments: Resource Accounting and Budgeting

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the latest version of JSP 462, Financial Management Policy Manual.

Adam Ingram: Yes.

Departments: Sick Leave

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what average number of days per year was taken by staff in his Department as sick leave in each of the last five years for which records are available.

Derek Twigg: The rates of worker sickness absence for non-industrial and industrial civil servants in the Ministry of Defence 2005, 2006 and financial year 2006-07 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Sickness absence rate( 1) 
			   Non industrial  Industrial  Combined 
			 2005(2) 8.55 12.54 9.30 
			 2006(2) 8.04 12.14 8.82 
			 2006-07(2) 8.03 12.22 8.82 
			 (1) Sickness absence rates are based on FTE working days lost. For example, if a full-time employee is sick for seven calendar days, this is five working days lost and five FTE working days lost, and if a part-time employee (working 50 per cent. full-time hours) is sick for seven calendar days, this is five working days lost and two and a half FTE working days lost. (2) Excludes Ministry of Defence staff in Trading Funds and Royal Fleet Auxiliaries. 
		
	
	Rates listed are based on a revised Cabinet Office definition for sickness absence which excludes annual leave allowance and bank holidays, and caps FTE sickness absence days across a year to a maximum of 225 days. Recording of absence data against this revised definition has only been carried out since calendar year 2005.

Departments: Sign Language

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the merits of providing British Sign Language (BSL) videos on his departmental website for the benefit of those whose first language is BSL.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 13 June 2007
	The Department is continually seeking to improve and enhance its web content. MOD is currently considering the report of an accessibility assessment of www.mod.uk against the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. The guidelines do not require BSL videos, but the feasibility of providing them on the departmental website will be assessed.

Ex-servicemen: Military Decorations

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the number of veterans who left the services prior to 1 April 1975 who are eligible to be awarded the Veterans Badge; and how many such veterans have been awarded the badge.

Derek Twigg: The Ministry of Defence does not have the information required to make an accurate assessment of the number of people entitled to the HM Armed Forces Veterans Badge prior to 1 April 1975. However, it is estimated that the total number of all veterans who will be eligible to apply is around five million.
	Over 460,000 badges have been issued in total.

Falkland Islands: Armed Conflict

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many veterans' badges have been issued to servicemen and women who participated in the Falklands campaign.

Adam Ingram: The information on veterans' badges is not held in a format that identifies how many servicemen and women who participated in the Falklands campaign have been issued with a badge. However, I can confirm that 3,015 badges were issued to Falklands veterans who applied for tickets for the Horse Guards Commemorative event on 17 June 2007.

Future Command and Liaison Vehicle

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on progress of the Panther programme;
	(2)  what the planned expenditure is on the Panther programme.

Adam Ingram: The PANTHER Command and Liaison Vehicle is currently in its demonstration and manufacture phase. The estimated cost of this phase is £201 million and prior to this, the assessment phase was conducted, costing some £2 million. PANTHER has successfully completed Military User Trials and is currently undergoing Reliability Trials.

Future Large Aircraft

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the timescale is for the A400M programme.

Adam Ingram: The first aircraft is due to be delivered in 2010, and the planned in-service date is 2011 (delivery of the seventh aircraft).

Iraq Conflict

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the status is of the studies  (a) TELIC Civilian Health Study,  (b) High Risk Behaviours After Operational Deployments (TELIC),  (c) Use of Computer-based Treatment for Depression and  (d) Post-discharge Mentoring of Vulnerable Service Leavers; and if he will place a copy of each in the Library.

Derek Twigg: Three of the studies are being undertaken by the King's Centre for Military Health Research (KCMHR). The current status of each is as follows:
	TELIC Civilian Health Study—the study is under way, and is currently scheduled for completion later in 2007.
	High Risk Behaviours after Operational Deployments (TELIC)—the study is under way, and is currently scheduled for completion later in 2007.
	Post-discharge Mentoring of Vulnerable Service Leavers—the study is complete and has been accepted for publication. It should be published later in 2007.
	The fourth study, Use of Computer-based Treatment for Depression, was an individual study, initially proposed by a member of the Defence Medical Services. However, work has yet to commence.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many soldiers are in theatre in Iraq; and how many sets of body armour have been issued;
	(2)  if he will make a statement on the provision of body armour to the armed forces in Iraq;
	(3)  how many soldiers from 1 Battalion, The Rifles are deployed in Iraq; and how many sets of body armour have been issued to them.

Adam Ingram: In March 2007 there were some 7,100 UK troops in Iraq which has reduced to currently some 5,500 personnel in theatre. There have been four members of the 1 Battalion, The Rifles deployed to Iraq since March 2007 of which three are still currently in Iraq. All of the troops serving with the Rifles Battalion are issued with Enhanced Combat Body Armour (ECBA) which is standard issue to all troops deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan. Improved Performance Body Armour (known as 'OSPREY') and Enhanced Personnel Protection Equipment (EPPE) (known as 'KESTREL') are provided in addition to ECBA and have been designed to protect against specific threats faced by personnel undertaking certain roles. In total there are over 14,000 sets of body armour in theatre.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the replacement costs of military equipment damaged and destroyed owing to use in Iraq since the start of the war  (a) in total and  (b) for (i) tanks and other armoured vehicles, (ii) aircraft and (iii) helicopters.

Adam Ingram: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what methods have been used to decontaminate or dispose of protective clothing used by British military personnel who investigated the remains of Iraqi tanks or other military vehicles disabled by depleted uranium weapons used in the invasion of Iraq.

Des Browne: holding answer 21 June 2007
	 Depleted uranium is a heavy metal used in some anti-armour munitions. While there is no appreciable radiation health risk, it can pose a toxic hazard through inhalation of ingestion of depleted uranium dust, or contamination of open wounds. This risk is relatively low and does not require individual protective clothing to be worn unless personnel are working in contaminated areas for a prolonged period. Advice provided on decontamination during combat operations was that clothing that may have been in contact with depleted uranium should have the dust brushed off in a controlled site while the individuals concerned were still wearing oral-nasal protection and gloves. Once brushed clean, the clothing was to be washed as normal. Thereafter clothing could be worn or disposed of locally as required.
	Subsequent monitoring of several hundred UK troops has shown that this advice was effective. Tests have shown no detectable depleted uranium in anyone other than a very small number of troops injured directly by depleted uranium munitions.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the new in-service date set for the Joint Strike Fighter has had any effect on the plan B for the aircraft to be provided for the new aircraft carriers.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 21 June 2007
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State in the other place on 8 January 2007,  Official Report, column WA8. We will not be setting in-service dates for the Joint Combat Aircraft (JCA) until we take the main investment decision, and we will take that decision when the project is sufficiently mature. The Joint Strike Fighter remains our preferred solution to meet the JCA requirement and our current plans for JCA remain coherent with the CVF programme.

Marchwood Railway Station

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence from what budget construction of the military railway station at Marchwood was funded.

Adam Ingram: There is no military railway station at the Sea Mounting Centre at Marchwood. There are, however, facilities where freight can be unloaded by rail. As these were constructed in the 1940s, information relating to the construction costs incurred is no longer held by the Ministry of Defence.

Marines

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the establishment of the Fleet Protection Group Royal Marines is.

Des Browne: The Fleet Protection Group Royal Marines (FPGRM) establishment is 33 officers and 504 other ranks.

Marines

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether all units of Royal Marines serving on Royal Navy frigates belong to the Fleet Protection Group Royal Marines.

Des Browne: All Royal Marines serving on RN Frigates belong to the Fleet Protection Group Royal Marines (FPGRM).

Marines: Terrorism

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Fleet Protection Group Royal Marines is tasked with maritime counter-terrorist duties.

Des Browne: The FLEET Protection Group Royal Marines is not tasked with maritime counter-terrorist duties.

Marines: Training

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what specialist training Royal Marines serving with the Fleet Protection Group receive in  (a) boarding,  (b) counter-insurgency operations and  (c) site protection.

Des Browne: The Fleet Protection Group Royal Marines (FPGRM) receive role specific training in order to allow them to conduct their mandated tasks.
	 (a) Boarding. Fleet Standby Rifle Troop boarding teams must pass a bespoke three-week course which includes close quarter battle training, first aid, fast roping, boarding techniques and boat drills. This is followed by continuation training courses in customs issues and board and search procedures. The course trains ranks in all the skills required to conduct compliant and non-compliant boardings.
	 (b) Counter-Insurgency Operations. Fleet Standby Rifle Troop Teams are trained to carry out their mandated tasks within a counter-insurgency environment. General training and theatre specific training is conducted within FPGRM. If the task includes operations on land, personnel also receive Operational Training and Advisory Group training.
	 (c) Site Protection. All Fleet Protection Group Royal Marines personnel are trained in site security. A minimum of five weeks dedicated training a year is undertaken. A minimum of six months in the site protection role is conducted prior to serving with the Fleet Standby Rifle Troop.

Navy

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the chain of command is for personnel of a boarding party deployed from a Royal Navy ship.

Des Browne: The Royal Marine Officer commands the boarding team during the boarding operation up to the point that the FLEET Protection Group Royal Marines team is inserted and the target vessel is secured. The Royal Navy Boarding Officer will then be handed tactical command for the search operations on the vessel. Both Officers, when in charge, are responsible to the Commanding Officer of the Ship.

Nimrod Aircraft

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what investigation was undertaken into the ruptured super-heated air pipe on Nimrod XV227 in November 2004; what conclusions were reached; and what steps have been taken in response.

Adam Ingram: During a post flight check on Nimrod XV227 on 22 November 2004, it was discovered that a portion of Supplementary Cooling Pack ducting had failed. A unit inquiry was held which concluded that it was caused by pitting and cracking corrosion leading to failure. The unit inquiry made the following recommendations and the table identifies actions taken in response.
	
		
			  Recommendation  Action taken 
			 The ruptured duct is replaced with new manufactured items on a fleet-wide basis as soon as possible. Recommendation closed. All such ducts fitted to in-service aircraft have been replaced with newly manufactured items. 
			 A lifing policy is introduced for the ruptured duct and all similar ducts. See comments on maintenance policy recommendation. Action ongoing. 
			 A maintenance policy should be instigated for the ruptured duct and all similar ducts. A study into the need for a preventative maintenance/lifing policy for this and similar ducts has been concluded by the Designer (BAE Systems). Their report, which is due to be issued imminently, is based on the results of a detailed analysis of a sample of ducts taken from a number of MR2 aircraft. This analysis has taken time to complete, but the report is expected to recommend that a lifing policy be introduced. Ducts due for replacement would be replaced during scheduled maintenance activities and it is anticipated that such a duct replacement programme would be in place by December 2007. Action ongoing. 
			 The extent of the hot air leak warning system is reviewed to ensure that all possible duct failures are covered. Recommendation closed. A review of the aircraft warning systems revealed that the affected Supplementary Cooling Pack Duct was the only duct whose failure would not have been detected. 
			 A hot air leak warning system is introduced for the ruptured duct and cross-air bleed ducts. Recommendation rejected. The duct failure was an isolated incident and was in the only part of the system where a leak would not have been detected. All of these ducts have been replaced with newly manufactured items that, based upon the previous 25 fault-free years that the original duct had been fitted, are expected to last well beyond the planned MR2 Out of Service Date (early part of the next decade). Moreover, fitting a discrete hot air leak warning system would be a complex modification that would have to be embodied across the fleet during its maintenance cycle and therefore take several years to embody. Considering the Out of Service Date of the Nimrod MR2, the fitting of such a system was not considered to be practicable. Action closed. 
			 This incident is highlighted as a training point for Air Engineers. The incident was immediately publicised through the Air Engineer command chain at RAF Kinloss. Action closed. 
			 The Aircrew Flight Reference Cards (FRC) regarding Supplementary Cooling Pack malfunctions are amended to reflect the information in the aircrew manuals. Amendments were made to Aircrew Flight Reference Cards and Aircrew Manuals to reflect the incident. Action closed.

Tornado Aircraft

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average total operating cost per hour is of the Tornado aircraft.

Adam Ingram: The total cost per funded flying hour of the Tornado F3 and the Tornado GR4 is £40,440 and £32,680 respectively. This includes forward and depth servicing, fuel costs, crew costs, training costs and the cost of capital charge and depreciation.

Type 45 Destroyers: Procurement

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the timetable is for making a decision on whether to order the seventh and eighth Type-45 destroyer.

Adam Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17 April 2007,  Official Report, column 537W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Crosby (Mrs. Curtis-Thomas).

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 29 March 2007,  Official Report, columns 1671-72W, on unmanned aerial vehicles, how much each individual Desert Hawk mini UAV costs; whether UK armed forces have been or will be supplied with any other types of UAV other than Desert Hawk; and whether consideration has been given to the use of light or small propeller driven aircraft for use by the RAF or Army Air Corps for  (a) surveillance or  (b) close combat support.

Adam Ingram: Desert Hawk is employed as a system consisting of eight air vehicles and the associated ground control station, communications and support equipment. The current variant costs approximately £0.4 million per system. A replacement air vehicle would cost in the region of £20,000.
	UK armed forces have been supplied with the Phoenix tactical UAV system and the Desert Hawk and Buster mini UAV systems. Also, they will be supplied with Reaper (formally Predator B) and Hermes 450 UAV systems to meet urgent operational requirements. The Watchkeeper UAV system will meet the future tactical UAV requirement.
	UK armed forces have some fairly small propeller-driven aircraft in service for surveillance and we keep our requirements for this type of capability under review. Such aircraft would be unlikely to meet our demanding requirements for close air support.

Warships

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for how many days the eight active Type 42 destroyers were  (a) at sea and  (b) alongside in harbour in (i) the last 12 months and (ii) 2006.

Adam Ingram: The information is not held centrally in the format requested. Taking the eight ships as a whole, the approximate percentage of time spent at sea for Type 42 destroyers over the last 12 months and for 2006 is 30 per cent. at sea and 70 per cent. in harbour.
	Time spent in harbour includes both time spent alongside in the ship's home port and time spent alongside while deployed elsewhere.
	The percentage figures allow for time spent in refit or maintenance periods.

Written Questions

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to reply to Question 125146, on procurement, tabled by the hon. Member for Portsmouth South on 28 February 2007; and what the reasons are for the delay.

Adam Ingram: I replied to the hon. Member today. I apologise for the delay in replying which was due to an administrative error.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Biofuels

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress is being made in the development of biofuels from crops and from the breakdown of organic waste.

Malcolm Wicks: Currently, the major portion of biodiesel production in the UK comes from imported soya, palm and jatrophe oils, along with locally grown oilseed rape, with a smaller contribution from recycled waste vegetable oil and animal fats. Bioethanol is sourced primarily from imports. However, a number of companies have announced plans to increase production of biofuels, either by expansion of existing plants or through construction of new plants which will use UK grown crops such as sugar beet, wheat and oilseed rape as a feedstock. Such biofuel production plants are being stimulated by a mix of Road Fuel Duty reduction and the forthcoming Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation. The Government are also keen to support "second generation" biofuels which use more advanced technologies and have the potential to use straw, wood and biodegradable waste as feedstocks and is supporting a number of projects through the Technology Programme in this area. However, the majority of these processes are currently not proven at commercial scale. There is also significant development of biofuels internationally.

Biofuels: Brazil

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will take steps to improve the relationship between biofuels producers in  (a) the UK and the North East of England and  (b) Brazil (i) to stimulate trade, (ii) to encourage innovation in the industry and (iii) to enhance competitive advantage for the two countries.

Ian McCartney: Support for establishing partnerships in investment and trade in renewable energies, particularly ethanol, is one of the recommendations of the UK-Brazil Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO). This clearly shows the importance we place on biofuels, and echoes industry's appetite for bilateral projects. UK banks, consultancy and advisory services companies are active and already doing business with Brazilian partners.
	HMG maintains regular dialogue with Brazil, the European Commission, the International Energy Agency and others on ethanol production and trade. Regular discussions also take place between Commission officials about a possible EU-Mercosur trade agreement with regards to bioethanol.
	There have been several recent events where Brazilian expertise has been presented to a UK audience to stimulate trade, investment and co-operation in biofuels, including the "Brazil: New Business Opportunities" event on 25 June 2007, organised by the Brazilian embassy in conjunction with UK Trade and Investment (UKTI). This JETCO event will see a specific ethanol presentation by the Brazilian Mercantile and Futures Exchange (BM&F), followed by a biofuels workshop attended by the Brazilian Piracicaba Ethanol Cluster and the Brazilian Sugar Cane Industry Union. Over 80 UK companies are scheduled to attend.
	There are no specific Government-led international initiatives specifically focused on biofuels for the NE, but UKTI NE region is running a trade mission to Brazil in February 2008 in which biofuels companies can participate.

Coastal Areas: Conferences

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what issues were discussed at the coastal towns conference on 8 May.

Margaret Hodge: The conference discussed a wide range of the issues facing coastal towns, in particular whether they share common characteristics. The main issues raised were the diversity among coastal towns, for instance in terms of size and industrial structure; the changing demands of the tourist trade, with movement towards shorter visits and increased business tourism, and the response of coastal towns to this; the importance of transport infrastructure and accessibility in attracting private investment and helping coastal towns realise their full potential; the negative effects of poor quality houses in multiple occupation, which are a feature in many coastal towns; and whether central Government and regional development agencies should adopt consistent policies and strategy for coastal towns as a group, or tailor them to individual circumstances.

Departments: Credit Cards

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much was spent by staff in his Department via departmental  (a) credit,  (b) procurement and  (c) fuel cards in each of the last three years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The spend within the Department over the last three financial years through individual Government Procurement Cards is:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2004-05 444,137.97 
			 2005-06 1,605,545.50 
			 2006-07 1,726,413.07 
		
	
	The spend to date (22 June 2007) in 2007-08 is £396,584.27.
	The Department does not use credit or fuel cards.
	The Department also has a corporate card with American Express which is a charge card used for additional travel expenses only. Liability on the card is jointly managed by staff as individuals and the Department.

Departments: Marketing

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which advertising and marketing campaigns were run by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies in each of the last five years; which external agencies were involved; and what the cost was of each campaign.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The following was spent on advertising by DTI and its agencies via the Central Office of Information in each of the last five full financial years. Details of any other expenditure by the DTI and its agencies are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			   £ 
			  2002-03  
			 UK Online for Business 2002/03 3,393,124 
			 Export Licence Announcements 2002/03 10,131 
			 Import Licence Announcements 2002/03 88,685 
			 DTI Miscellaneous 2002/03 21,000 
			 UK Online for Business—Supplement 2002/03 153,384 
			 SBS Business Link 5,395,254 
			 Fireworks Campaign 2002/03—media only 181,966 
			 National Minimum Wage 2002/03 299,443 
			 SBS Recruitment Advertising 14,537 
			 Parental Rights 2002/03 718,718 
			 DTI Consumer Gateway 2002/03 74,887 
			 Quality Mark 2002/03 779,817 
			 Ex-Miners Compensation 2002/03 402,419 
			 Total 11,533,365 
			   
			  2003-04  
			 Parental Rights 2003/04 1,106,186 
			 Import Licence Announcements 2003/04 130,470 
			 Ex Miner Compensation 2003/04 384,875 
			 SBS Public Notice Advertising 2003/04 84,778 
			 SBS Business Link 2003/04 882,188 
			 DTI National Minimum Wage 2003/04 306,360 
			 Quality Mark Scheme 2003/04 189,973 
			 DTI EERA 13 2003/04 422,177 
			 DTI UK Online for Business 2003/04 163,965 
			 DTI Fireworks SMS Internet 2003/04 18,603 
			 DTI UK Online for Business Internet 2003/04 230,914 
			 DTI Consumer Gateway Internet 2003/04 37,686 
			 UK Trade & Investment 2003/04 194,784 
			 SBS Keyword 2003/04 20,799 
			 ACAS Awareness 2003/04 1,070,601 
			 Total 5,244,359 
			  2004-05  
			 Consumer Direct 2004/05 706,488 
			 SBS Business Link 2004/05 552,712 
			 Import Licence Announcements 2004/05 74,300 
			 DTI Classified Recruitment Advertising 2004/05 41,007 
			 New Minimum Wage 2004/05 315,754 
			 Renewable Energy 2004/05 15,542 
			 Queen's Award for Enterprise Promotion 2004/05 30,494 
			 Firework Safety 04/05—(media only) 188,480 
			 DTI—Dispute Resolution (media only) 81,768 
			 SBS Press Media Buying Costs 2004/05 3,255 
			 Total 2,009,800 
			   
			  2005-06  
			 Consumer Direct 2005/06 1,447,850 
			 DTI Classified/Recruitment Advertising 2005/06 31,099 
			 SBS Business Link 2005/06 1,502,301 
			 New National Minimum Wage 2005/06 369,603 
			 Directgov—DTI Employee Franchise 2005/06 127,690 
			 Total 3,478,543 
			   
			  2006-07  
			 Consumer Direct—Thomson Directories 2006/07 581,424 
			 DTI Classified Recruitment 2006/07 11,457 
			 ACAS Miscellaneous Advertising Activity 2006/07 228,949 
			 Total 821,830

Departments: Northern Ireland

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will place in the Library a copy of the concordat governing the relationship between his Department and the Northern Ireland Administration.

Margaret Hodge: The DTI does not have a concordat with Northern Ireland Administration. The DTI does have a concordat with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment in Northern Ireland. This Department covers a similar range of functions to the DTI. A copy of this concordat is available on the DTI's website:
	www.dti.gov.uk.

Departments: Pay

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many staff in his Department received bonus payments in 2006-07; what proportion of the total work force they represented; what the total amount of bonuses paid was; what the largest single payment was; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department of Trade and Industry awards non-consolidated bonuses in two formats:
	Special bonuses to recognise performance in particularly demanding tasks or situations. Staff in receipt of a special bonus may also receive an annual performance award.
	Annual performance awards paid to highly successful performance as part of the annual pay award.
	Based on the information available the number of staff receiving these awards, as a proportion of the total work force they represent, total amount of bonuses and the size of the single largest payment for which this information can be provided is in the following table.
	
		
			  Financial year  2006-07( 1) 
			   Special bonuses  Performance awards  Largest single payment of bonuses 
			 Number of staff receiving 919 1,286 — 
			 Proportion of the workforce receiving (percentage) 20 29 — 
			 Total value (£) 491,669 2,532,180 15,000 
			 (1 )Financial year running from 1 April to 31 March. 
		
	
	In 2006-07 the total value of bonuses paid was approximately 1.8 per cent. of the Department's total paybill.
	The special bonuses and performance awards for non-SCS staff are paid on a non-consolidated, non-pensionable basis and do not increase the Department's paybill costs each year. For the SCS the Senior Salaries Review Body determines the level of expenditure to cover bonuses.

Departments: Public Participation

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many public consultations his Department undertook in the last 12 months; and what the cost was of each consultation.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Over the past 12 months to the end of May 2007, the Department of Trade and Industry launched 57 formal public consultations in order to inform the Department's policy development. Information on the cost of each consultation, and the total cost of all consultations, could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Publications

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the cost was of producing Overseas Trade magazine  (a) before advertising revenues and  (b) net of advertising revenues in each year for which information is available.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 9 May 2007
	 The position (excluding website) is recorded in the Official Journal of the European Union tender and contractual documents for the specified periods, and is as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			  Cost period  Gross cost before advertising revenues  Cost to UK Trade and Investment 
			 30 June 2003-29 June 2004 (1)— 175,350 
			 30 June 2004-29 June 2005 (1)— 161,390 
			 30 June 2005-29 June 2006 (1)— 161,390 
			 1 July 2006-30 June 2007(2) (1)— 199,760 
			 (1 )Exemption claimed under Freedom of Information Act 2000 (section 43). (2) Period subject to extension of up to 12 months not yet agreed.

Departments: Publicity

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the cost was of the banners in the window of his Department's building at 1 Victoria Street.

Margaret Hodge: The cost excluding VAT of designing and producing these banners was £4,582.

Departments: Sick Leave

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what average number of days per year was taken by staff in his Department as sick leave in each of the last five years for which records are available.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The following shows the average number of sick absence days per year in each of the last five years in DTI HQ:
	
		
			  Year ending 31 March:  Sick absence days 
			 2007 5.7 
			 2006 5.5 
			 2005 5.7 
			 2004 8.0 
			 2003 7.0

Departments: Surveys

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many staff surveys his Department undertook in the last 12 months; and at what total cost.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The DTI commissions one annual survey of all DTI staff, as part of its internal communications, at a cost of around £20,000 a year.

Departments: Warwick Manufacturing Group

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what payments his Department has made to Warwick Manufacturing Group in each year since 1997.

Margaret Hodge: No payments have been made to Warwick Manufacturing Group direct. However the following payments have been made to Warwick university, of which it is part, and to Warwick Business School, also part of Warwick university:
	
		
			  £ 
			   Warwick University  Warwick Business School 
			 2002-03 93,570 — 
			 2003-04 38,805 56,378 
			 2004-05 — 50,062 
			 2005-06 — 9,595 
			 2006-07 — — 
		
	
	The Department changed its financial system in 2003 and details of payments before then could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
	Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) and the university of Warwick are major assets to the West Midlands and play a significant role in attracting inward investment into the region. WMG, in particular, is one of many assets within the region which form an integral part of an overall regional proposition presented to knowledge-driven business. It is rarely possible however to attribute the success in securing an inward investment project to one single factor, as often it is the result of a combination of issues.
	For example, the Airbus decision to establish a systems engineering centre for fuel and landing gear systems in Solihull in 2006 was based on a combination of factors, including skills availability, access to existing Airbus centres in both north-west and south-west England and potential engineering links to regional universities including Aston, Birmingham and Warwick. WMG was nevertheless one of a number of factors which persuaded Airbus to locate in the region.

Economic Situation: North West Region

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will break down by area of investment the £211 billion private sector investment quoted in the North West Development Agency's Improving the Economic Performance of England's Northwest document dated February 2007.

Margaret Hodge: We believe that the figure in the question from the hon. Member should read £2.1 billion, not £211 billion.
	Since 1999, the NWDA has levered the following private sector investment through its legacy programmes that includes the Single Regeneration Budget, and since 2002, the Single Programme:
	
		
			   £ 
			  Legacy (1999-2002)  
			 Land and Property 461,000,000 
			 Single Regeneration Budget 842,000,000 
			 Rural Programmes 5,000,000 
			 Inward Investment(1) 287,700,000 
			 Total 1,595,700,000 
			   
			  Single Programme (2002-06)  
			 Business Growth 4,618,800 
			 Urban, Rural and Economic Inclusion 527,161,338 
			 Strategic transport, communications and infrastructure 16,600,000 
			 Employment sites 15,259,290 
			 Image 1,875,738 
			 Total 565,515,166 
			   
			  Legacy and Single Programme Combined 2,161,215,166 
			 (1 )The Inward Investment data for 2002-03 onwards are subsumed into business growth. 
		
	
	The North West Development Agency did not categorise private sector investment by geographical area until 2003-04. The following table details the investment by area for 2003-04 to 2005-06.
	
		
			  Private Sector Investment by Area, 2003-04 to 2005-06 
			  £ 
			  Area (of project)  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Cheshire 645,546 172,477,380 106,641,870 
			 Cumbria 16,613,336 23,168,209 33,093,427 
			 Greater Manchester 48,233,713 70,469,540 79,899,078 
			 Greater Merseyside 30,356,623 27,909,442 10,865,009 
			 Lancashire 9,529,750 13,633,523 23,500,740 
			 Regional 2,357,333 2,711,671 2,765,139 
			 Grand Total 107,736,301 310,369,765 256,765,263

Electric Cables: Scotland

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what methodology was used by Ofgem to assess the Beauly Denny transmission line; and what account was taken of the grid reinforcement to accommodate intermittent generation, with particular reference to  (a) the increase in capacity made available through the installation of equipment to permit operational intertripping and  (b) the use of hydro-electricity as a balancing service when economically justified;
	(2)  what work was undertaken by Ofgem in assessing the Beauly Denny transmission line to compare the merits of the proposed line and the use of transmission capacity from North West Scotland on mainly existing transmission lines along the Beauly-Blackhillock-Kintore-Tealing route.

Ian McCartney: Under the UK's energy market framework it is for the licensed transmission network companies to connect new generation to the electricity grid. It is a matter for Ofgem, the independent regulator, to ensure that any proposals for extensions to the existing system are economic and efficient. It is for the planning process to consider if proposed upgrades are acceptable. In Scotland, those planning decisions rest with Scottish Ministers.

Electronic Equipment: Waste Disposal

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many in-store take back schemes the Government expects to be set up as a result of the implementation of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive requires that distributors supplying electrical and electronic equipment to household end users provide facilities for WEEE to be returned free of charge. The UK's implementing regulations give distributors two options for meeting this obligation: they can offer in-store take back of old equipment when consumers buy a replacement item or they can join the Distributor Take back Scheme (DTS) which supports a network of primarily civic amenity site collection facilities where their customers can return their WEEE.
	There is no requirement under the WEEE Regulations to maintain a register of distributors who provide in-store take back. Currently DTS membership represents some 75 per cent. of EEE retailing. Figures on the number of in-store take back schemes are not available.

Employment

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans the Government has to sign partnerships with British industries to promote jobs for British citizens.

Margaret Hodge: The Government have no specific plans to sign partnerships to promote jobs for British citizens. The Department of Trade and Industry has a wide range of relationships with many sectors of the economy that address the challenges industry faces in light of increasing globalisation and that seek to improve competitiveness and create jobs. We have established a number of Innovation and Growth Teams in key sectors which provide a good example of the way in which we work with industry. We also work with inward investors to the UK who create employment. The working age employment rate remains close to the historic highs of recent years and is 1.6 percentage points higher than in April 1997.

Employment: North West Region

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 12 June 2007,  Official Report, column 903W, on employment: North West region, if he will break down by employer the number of jobs safeguarded or created under the urban, rural and economic inclusion heading.

Margaret Hodge: As stated in my response of 12 June, the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) does not collect information in the form requested and as such does not hold data by employer.
	However, under the Regional Development Agency (RDA) Tasking Framework, introduced in April 2005, RDAs are required to disaggregate outputs by urban and rural area.
	For 2005-06, the NRDA reported that 15,738 jobs were created or safeguarded, of which; 74 per cent. (11,588) were in urban areas and 26 per cent. (4,150) were in rural areas.
	Further details of RDAs' end year outputs for 2005-06 can be found at:
	http:/www.dti.gov.uk/regional/regional-dev-agencies/rda-performance/nage32498.html

Energy Supply: Biofuels

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the adaptability of the existing energy supply infrastructure to  (a) biofuels from crops and from the breakdown of organic waste and  (b) other more environmentally-friendly fuels.

Malcolm Wicks: The forthcoming Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation will require changes to the existing oil supply and distribution infrastructure as set out in various Regulatory Impact Assessments which accompanied the development of the RTFO. The oil industry is aware of and preparing for those changes.

Energy: Conservation

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what information his Department holds on the geographical distribution of spending under the energy efficiency commitment.

Ian Pearson: I have been asked to reply.
	For the first phase of the Energy Efficiency Commitment 2002 to 2005 (EEC1) the regulator, Ofgem, which is responsible for administering the scheme, monitored the delivery of energy suppliers' schemes across England, Scotland and Wales. Under EEC1, 86 per cent. of energy savings were delivered in England and 7 per cent. each in Scotland and Wales.
	Information is not available on EEC expenditure, which is a matter for the energy suppliers.

Energy: Conservation

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps have been taken to help individual homeowners to increase the energy efficiency of their homes; and what steps are being taken to incentivise such actions.

Ian Pearson: I have been asked to reply.
	The Warm Front scheme aims to improve energy efficiency in households in England through the provision of energy efficiency and heating measures to eligible households. Since its inception in 2000, Warm Front has assisted more than 1.4 million vulnerable households. Funding for the scheme for the 2005-08 period is over £800 million.
	The Energy Efficiency Commitment (EEC) is an obligation on electricity and gas suppliers to meet targets for the promotion of improvements in household energy efficiency in Britain. During the first phase of the EEC (2002-05), suppliers installed a range of measures which helped an estimated 40 million households to improve their energy efficiency.
	DEFRA funds the Energy Saving Trust (EST) for its work on promoting energy efficiency in the domestic sector through advertising programmes, advice centres and the endorsement of energy-saving products. The Trust also encourages local authorities to develop energy efficiency strategies.
	DEFRA has also launched an online calculator that enables people to work out their carbon footprint. The calculator is part of DEFRA's "Act on CO2" campaign which aims to make people aware of the link between their own everyday behaviour and climate change. The calculator covers three sections—home energy, appliances and personal transport—and can be used for an individual or a whole household. It also provides tailored recommendations through a personalised action plan, about what steps users can take to cut their own emissions.
	DEFRA's Guide to Greener Living, and EST's accreditation of products under the "Energy Saving Recommended" label, also signpost consumers to products that save the most energy.

Energy: Meters

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what discussions his Department has had with the Health and Safety Executive on safety issues surrounding the instalment and the wearing of wires of real time displays;
	(2)  what discussions his Department has had with the Health and Safety Executive on the safety issues surrounding the instalment and the wearing of wires of real time displays.

Malcolm Wicks: The Department is in discussion with the Health Safety Executive about display devices. Early indications are that there are no safety concerns surrounding the installation of the devices, which are already available through retailers and some energy suppliers, but we will continue to discuss this issue with suppliers and the executive.

Energy: Meters

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what consideration the Government have given to introducing smart meters with displays in May 2008 in time to meet the Energy Services Directive;
	(2)  what consideration the Government have given to introducing smart meters with displays in May 2008 in time to meet the Energy Services Directive.

Malcolm Wicks: In the Energy White Paper, the Government made clear their view that display devices could give gas and electricity customers information to help them make early reductions in their energy use. Further activity in respect of smart metering is being undertaken by the Government, in partnership with gas and electricity suppliers. In setting out their White Paper proposals on display devices, the Government indicated that they would consult on the implementation of these proposals in the context of their ambitions to see a roll-out of smart meters within 10 years.

Export Credit Guarantees: Burma

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much debt is owed to UK companies by Burma; in relation to which  (a) companies and  (b) projects the Export Credits Guarantee Department has taken over this debt; and in each case when the guarantees were given.

Ian McCartney: The amount owed by Burma to UK companies in respect of defaulted export contracts insured or guaranteed by the ECGD is £22.9 million. The ECGD has subrogated rights to recoveries.
	Contracts for which the ECGD provided 100 per cent. guarantees for the related financing loans given by the National Westminster Bank are as follows:
	John Brown Engineering/Government of Burma Electric Power Enterprise: One loan signed in 1979 and two in 1982;
	Bonar Cruickshank Power Engineering/Government of Burma Electric Power Enterprise: Loan signed 1986; and
	James Mackie and Sons/Myanmar Textile Industries: Loan signed 1980.
	The ECGD also insured two export contracts with Myanmar Textile Industries and the Inland Water Transport Corporation where the outstanding debt is £1.8 million. The policies were issued in 1980 and 1983. Owing to commercial confidentiality undertakings in insurance policies, the ECGD would need to notify those companies before disclosing their names.

Farmers: Bankruptcy

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many and what proportion of farmers were declared bankrupt in  (a) Cornwall,  (b) the South West and  (c) the UK in each year since 1979.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The closest available estimates for bankruptcies among farmers are the numbers of bankruptcy orders made under the category "agriculture and horticulture" according to the Insolvency Trade Classification (ITC). The table provides the figures for England and Wales, which are available from 1990 onwards.
	Bankruptcies in Scotland and Northern Ireland are the responsibility of the devolved administrations and, while total bankruptcies could be provided, a breakdown by industry is not available.
	Bankruptcy statistics are classified regionally according to the locations and areas of responsibility of official receivers' (ORs) offices, each of which covers a number of courts having insolvency jurisdiction, and are not directly comparable with administrative geographies. Statistics broken down both by industry and regionally are not readily available for the period requested.
	The Insolvency Trade Classification is not consistent with the Standard Industrial Classification 2003 (SIC2003) which is used to classify businesses, nor is the regional classification in use consistent with standard administrative geographies such as counties and Government office regions (GORs). It is not, therefore, possible to provide reliable estimates of the proportions of farmers becoming bankrupt, either at the regional or national level.
	Bankruptcies in England and Wales in the Agriculture sector, January 1990 September 2006:
	
		
			   Bankruptcy orders in agriculture sector (E and W) 
			 1990 198 
			 1991 266 
			 1992 313 
			 1993 277 
			 1994 231 
			 1995 218 
			 1996 168 
			 1997 155 
			 1998 157 
			 1999 183 
			 2000 173 
			 2001 183 
			 2002 132 
			 2003 151 
			 2004 204 
			 2005 195 
			 2006 (up to September)(1) 129 
			 (1) Figures from October 2006 are not available due to development work to update the classification of new cases to the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) 2003.  Note: Figures are not available prior to January 1990.

Lighting: Prices

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what additional cost he expects to be added to the retail price of  (a) traditional incandescent light bulbs and  (b) energy-saving light bulbs as a result of the implementation of the Waste, Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive.

Malcolm Wicks: Incandescent light bulbs are not subject to the provisions of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive, but energy- efficient light bulbs, including compact fluorescent bulbs, are. According to industry estimate it cost 20-25 pence to teat a fluorescent bulb. This treatment cost information appeared in the Regulatory Impact Assessment issued alongside the WEEE Regulations.
	Ultimately it will be for the lamp industry to ensure that they remain priced at a reasonable level.

Low Carbon Buildings Programme

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on what date he expects the domestic stream of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme to be relaunched.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The household stream of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme was relaunched on 29 May 2007.

National Institute for Medical Research

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what scientific representation there is for the National Institute for Medical Research on the working party of the Medical Research Council deciding on its future at the British Library site.

Malcolm Wicks: The National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) is a wholly owned institute of the Medical Research Council. In October 2004, the MRC established a steering committee to oversee the further development of a business plan for the renewal of the NIMR, bringing together scientific and business issues. In February 2005, following the selection of University College London as the preferred partner for the renewal of the NIMR, a project group comprising representatives from the MRC, the NIMR and UCL was established to advise the Committee on the development of the business case required for the Gateway Process.

National Institute for Medical Research

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on what date Sir Keith Peters was appointed as interim director of the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR); how many days Sir Keith has worked at the NIMR since taking up the post; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: The National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) is a wholly owned institute of the Medical Research Council (MRC).
	Sir Keith Peters took up the appointment as an interim Director of the NIMR on 1 October 2006. His contract requires him to work an average of eight days per month.

National Institute for Medical Research

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  whether the National Institute for Medical Research is permitted to do a preliminary feasibility study of the proposal to relocate to the British Library site;
	(2)  why the first statement of 31 May 2007 from the steering group on the relocation of the National Institute for Medical Research was qualified by the further statement of 1 June that the 31 May statement should not be given to the media or staff.

Malcolm Wicks: This is a matter for the Medical Research Council (MRC). I have asked the MRC's Chief Executive, Professor Colin Blakemore, to reply to my hon. Friend.

New Businesses: Lancashire

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many new businesses established in West Lancashire received Government  (a) funding and  (b) assistance in each of the last five years.

Margaret Hodge: In 2002-03 one new business received funding through an enterprise grant (these became selective financial investment grants in 2004) funded by the Small Business Service. Since this time, there has been no take-up of available grants by new businesses.
	The number of new businesses in West Lancashire receiving assistance through the Business Link service for the years in question is as follows:
	
		
			  Businesses receiving Business Link assistance 
			   Number 
			 2002-03 70 
			 2003-04 59 
			 2004-05 72 
			 2005-06 36 
			 2006-07 6

North West Development Agency: Finance

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the Northwest Regional Development Agency's budget was in each year since 1997.

Margaret Hodge: The following table shows the Single Pot budget given to the Northwest Regional Development Agency since their creation in 1999-2000 to the present year:
	
		
			  RDA/Year  NWDA (£000) 
			 1999-2000 141,367 
			 2000-01 155,750 
			 2001-02 269,688 
			 2002-03 274,032 
			 2003-04 309,092 
			 2004-05 366,720 
			 2005-06 381,831 
			 2006-07 400,133 
			 2007-08 408,904

Nuclear Power Stations

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects to make an announcement on the proposed strategic siting assessment for new nuclear power stations.

Malcolm Wicks: The Government recently published a consultation document on nuclear power as well as a consultation document inviting views on a proposed process for carrying out a strategic siting assessment (SSA). Both consultations close on 10 October 2007. We intend to publish a policy statement in response to both consultations by the end of the year.
	The SSA consultation document proposes that, if the Government confirm their preliminary view that it is in the public interest to allow companies the option of investing in new nuclear power stations, the SSA will be launched in early 2008 and conclude in mid 2009.

Overseas Trade: Brazil

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what further action he plans to take to encourage an increase in the value and volume of trade between the UK and Brazil.

Ian McCartney: Brazil is identified as an emerging market under UK Trade and Investment's strategy "Prosperity in a Changing World". As part of this strategy, we are focusing on deepening our trade and economic relationship with Brazil with the aim of increasing the level of trade between the UK and Brazil. We aim to achieve this by raising awareness about the opportunities in Brazil and by tackling barriers to trade. The UK-Brazil Joint Economic Trade Committee (JETCO) is one tool already in place to support these aims and a number of activities are ongoing under this. For example:
	A "Brazil: New Business Opportunities" event, organised by the Brazilian embassy with the support of UK Trade and Investment, is taking place [took place] in London on 25 June and is bringing together UK and Brazilian businesses.
	The CBI is delivering a comprehensive programme aimed at improving the business environment in Brazil.
	A full programme of activity aimed at increasing links and collaboration between the UK and Brazil is under way for the Brazil-UK Year of Science.
	The FCO Global Opportunities Fund is supporting a visit by experts from the UK Intellectual Property Office to Brazil to deliver intellectual property rights training to Brazilian patent examiners.
	A series of joint events are planned to promote professional services during the Lord Mayor's visit to Brazil in August.
	The second ministerial JETCO meeting will take place in September in London. This will be attended by Brazil's new Minister of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade, Miguel Jorges.
	In addition, four extra staff are joining UKTI's network in Brazil in the next few months as part of a refocusing of resources to emerging markets under the strategy. UKTI has also appointed a high growth market specialist from the private sector with extensive experience of Brazil to assist UKTI in raising awareness of the opportunities in Brazil and to provide business development advice and market intelligence for companies.

Power Stations: Peterhead

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will assess the likely effects of the proposals in the Government's White Paper on Energy on the planning of the 90 per cent. carbon free power station at Peterhead.

Ian McCartney: The Energy White Paper announced that a competition would be launched in November 2007 to develop the UK's first commercial scale demonstration of carbon capture and storage technologies on a power generation facility. This will contribute to the UK's emission reduction targets while also demonstrating the technology to an international audience in support of the Government's wider climate change objectives.
	Since publication of the Energy White Paper BP has announced its withdrawal from the Peterhead project. We are aware that several other companies remain interested in participating in the competition and we are keen to see other projects come forward as the competition develops.
	The decision on planning consent for a particular case is a matter for the relevant competent authority, and in the case of Peterhead that is Scottish Ministers under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989. I understand they gave approval to the proposal on 14 June this year.

Regional Development Agencies: Trade Unions

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the merits of establishing trade union representation on Regional Development Agency boards; and what representations he has received from the Trades Union Congress on this matter.

Margaret Hodge: RDA boards are made up of a range of different skills and experience to reflect a balance of regional interests. Each board includes a trade union representative.
	Each trade union member is appointed by the Secretary of State following a recruitment process which meets the code of the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Each board member's performance is reviewed annually by the Chair of the RDA. Ministers take account of performance reviews when considering reappointments.
	I meet the TUC regional development network regularly to discuss RDA issues but not appointments policy.

Research: Closures

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the case for allowing the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology to exercise powers of scrutiny over proposed research institute closures; and what discussions he has had with the Trades Union Congress on this matter.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 19 June 2007
	Recommendations in the Science and Technology Committee's report on its Inquiry into the Research Council Institutes, published on 22 March, suggested a greater role for the Office of Science and Innovation in monitoring the Research Council Institutes, including any restructuring of those Institutes. These issues were raised in April at a meeting between myself, as Minister responsible for science and innovation, and Prospect.
	The Government's approach remains that the Research Councils should retain responsibility for the management and organisation of their Research Institutes. Research Councils discuss any proposed closures of such Institutes with local staff trade unions, as a matter of course.
	But Ministers and the OSI retain an interest in ensuring the good overall management of our science base and its institutions.

Royal Mail: Government Assistance

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 15 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1419W, on Royal Mail: Government assistance, what the independent sources are that have verified the status of Government support to Royal Mail.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department used a number of external commercial advisers to ensure that the financial arrangements that are currently being investigated by the European Commission were made on a commercial basis. The main source of independent advice has been Deloitte. Advice was also obtained from Credit Suisse, Strategia and Herbert Smith.

Science: Government Assistance

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the level of Government funding support for science centres was in each of the last five years; and what total support is expected to be given  (a) in 2007-08 and  (b) up to 2010.

Malcolm Wicks: Government funding for science centres over the last five years is shown in the following table:
	
		
			   £000 
			 2002-03 61 
			 2003-04 598 
			 2004-05 560 
			 2005-06 932 
			 2006-07 333 
		
	
	These figures include:
	DTI funding of £93,000 from a total of £150,000 paid between 2001 and 2004, to Ecsite UK, an umbrella body for science centres, to help it become established and become financially sustainable.
	£2 million, from DTI and DfES, between 2004 and 2006 to certain centres which were assessed as likely to become financially viable with the short term funding.
	 (a) Funding for 2007-08 will include £450,000 as a part of £750,000 project ran by Ecsite UK (between November 2006 and March 2008) to help the science centres achieve financial sustainability and £33,000 funding for Ecsite-UK.
	 (b) The Government have provided this short-term funding on the basis that science centres should be self- sustaining thereafter.

Severn Barrage

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the organisations and authorities whose views  (a) in favour of and  (b) opposing the proposal for a tidal barrage across the River Severn have been communicated to him.

Malcolm Wicks: There is no specific proposal at present to build a Severn Barrage. The Sustainable Development Commission is however producing a report, with financial support from various parties including my Department, looking at various options for harnessing the potential tidal energy resource that exists around the UK, including within the Severn estuary. The SDC will, of course, be looking at the Severn Barrage tidal power scheme and other options within the Severn estuary.
	The SDC project has included a significant programme of stakeholder and public engagement. This work is now complete and involved two stakeholder workshops in Aberdeen and Cardiff, a series of deliberative public workshops and focus groups at regional and local levels, and a national omnibus poll. A report of the engagement programme, and an independent evaluation of the programme, will be published as part of the evidence base that underpins the SDC's final report that is expected by the end of September.
	In the communications that have been received by my Department from organisations or authorities on this issue, it has not always been the case that opinion is clearly for or against a particular scheme.

Shale: Imports

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what tonnage of shale was imported into the UK in each quarter of each year since 2004.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 21 June 2007
	Imports of shale for construction or similar uses cannot be distinguished from imports of similar clays. HM Revenue and Customs Overseas Trade Statistics give the following figures for imports of HS271410 bituminous or oil-shale and tar sands:
	
		
			  Year/quarter  Weight (thousand tonnes) 
			  2004  
			 Q1 24 
			 Q2 41 
			 Q3 278 
			 Q4 318 
			   
			  2005  
			 Q1 608 
			 Q2 596 
			 Q3 146 
			 Q4 341 
			   
			  2006  
			 Q1 132 
			 Q2 75 
			 Q3  
			 Q4 1 
			   
			  2007  
			 Q1 1 
			  Source: Overseas Trade Statistics

UK Trade and Investment: Fees and Charges

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what income UK Trade and Investment received from charging businesses for its services in each of the last five years.

Ian McCartney: UK Trade and Investment's operating income, which principally comprises fees and charges for services provided to external customers, is shown in the Annual Reports and Accounts as follows;
	
		
			   £ 
			 2002-03 900,000 
			 2003-04 1,275,000 
			 2004-05 1,057,000 
			 2005-06 1,037,000 
			 2006-07 1,676,000 
		
	
	The figure for 2006-07 is provisional and remains subject to final audit.

Union Modernisation Fund

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what criteria are used to allocate payments from the Union Modernisation Fund; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Ministers select projects for UMF funding on the basis of recommendations made by an independent Supervisory Board. Bids are assessed against a series of eligibility and selection criteria set out in the UMF application pack (www.dti.gov.uk/files/file35395.pdf). The bids are assessed to ensure that they fall within the scope of the fund; will deliver outcomes that would not happen without funding; have been realistically costed and offer value for money; and have suitable project management arrangements in place for effective delivery of the project.

Working Hours

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the percentage of men who would like to work more flexibly;
	(2)  what steps are being taken to raise awareness of the business case for flexible working among employers;
	(3)  what research he has  (a) examined and  (b) commissioned on the impact of increasing flexible working on skills shortages in the UK;
	(4)  whether he has made an assessment of the impact of flexible working on productivity.

Jim Fitzpatrick: No specific research has been commissioned by DTI on flexible working and skill shortages in the UK. However, to the extent that flexible working helps employers both to recruit and retain skilled staff, it will help to reduce skill shortages in the UK. DTI research has found that many employees consider the availability of flexible working to be important when deciding to work with their current employer.
	With regard to the percentage of men who would like to work more flexibly the DTIs Third Work-Life Balance Employee Survey found that almost half (46 per cent.) either were currently working flexibly, or had done so in the past year. When men who had not made a request to work flexibly were asked why, more than three-fifths said they were happy with their current arrangements or gave other personal reasons. Overall, 86 per cent. of male employees said they were satisfied or very satisfied with their current working arrangements, compared with only 5 per cent. who were dissatisfied and 1 per cent. who were very dissatisfied.
	The relationship between various workplace practices and productivity is a complex one, mediated by a host of other variables; studies often find no statistically significant relationship. The relationship between work-life balance and labour productivity was investigated in Chapter 10 of the DTI-sponsored report, 'Inside the Workplace: Findings from the 2004 Workplace Employment Relations Survey' (Routledge 2006). It was found that work-life balance practices were not jointly significant when added to the baseline labour productivity model. A forthcoming DTI research report, however, has found that in private sector workplaces an increased incidence of family-friendly provisions is positively associated with managers' perceptions of improved financial performance.
	In terms of raising awareness of the business case for flexible working among employers, the DTI has recently worked with Carers UK, ACAS, British Chambers of Commerce and British Gas to produce an employer's pack which illustrates the business case for flexible working. The Business Link website provides advice and guidance on flexible working and highlights the business case and benefits to employers of working flexibly.

Working Hours

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what definition he uses of flexible working for the purposes of departmental policy.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The DTI considers "flexible working" to cover a range of solutions that enable its staff to work in a variety of patterns and locations while allowing the Department to efficiently deploy its resources to meet and adapt to changing business needs. Flexible working options available to staff include:
	Part time working;
	Job sharing;
	Flexi time;
	Home working;
	Compressed hours;
	Annualised hours;
	Team time working.
	The Department recognises the benefits that flexible working can bring to its staff, to the successful delivery of its business strategy and its customers.

Written Questions

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he will answer question  (a) 136543, on maternity and paternity leave, and  (b) 136541, on Overseas Trade magazine, tabled on 3 May 2007 by the hon. Member for Rutland and Melton.

Jim Fitzpatrick: I answered the hon. Member's question on maternity and paternity leave (136543) on 15 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1416W, and question on Overseas Trade magazine (136541) today.

Written Questions

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he will answer question 136542, on Departments: newspapers, tabled on 3 May 2007 by the hon. Member for Rutland and Melton.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 11 June 2007
	 I answered the hon. Member's question on Departments publications (136542) on 20 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1818W.

Written Questions

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he will answer question 136530, on paternity leave, tabled on 3 May 2007 by the hon. Member for Rutland and Melton.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 11 June 2007
	 I answered the hon. Member's question on paternity leave (136530) on 20 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1825W.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Arms Length Management Organisations

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what steps her Department has taken to allow local authorities with arms-length management organisations the flexibility to use their own  (a) land and  (b) other resources to build and own homes;
	(2)  what plans her Department has to facilitate the construction of more council housing by  (a) local authorities and  (b) arms-length management organisations.

Yvette Cooper: Local authorities have an important role in securing new affordable housing. They should work in partnership with housing associations and developers, using their planning and other powers, to identify need and support development. But we are encouraging more direct development by authorities where it offers value for money.
	We have changed the bidding process for social housing grant this year which will make it easier for arms-length management organisations (ALMOs) or local authority special venture vehicles to satisfy pre-qualification tests of financial standing and technical capacity which has hampered previous ALMO bids; and ensure that when an authority brings forward land in a bid, this is likely to score well in meeting the criteria of deliverability and strategic fit.
	We are exploring with six local authorities, three of which have ALMOs, the benefits of their coming out of the housing revenue subsidy system. The pilots have shown that being self-financing creates a number of benefits, one of which is the opportunity for councils to have a more direct role in building homes for rent. The work of the pilots is currently being assessed.

Coastal Areas: Hampshire

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 19 June 2007,  Official Report, columns 1673-74W, on coastal areas: Hampshire, what the timetable is for the publication of the reviews of Hampshire's two shoreline management plans.

Ian Pearson: I have been asked to reply.
	The Hampshire coast is covered by two shoreline management plans (SMPs). The North Solent shoreline (Selsey Bill to Hurst Spit) is led by New Forest district council and its review has just started for completion by about March 2009. The Hurst Spit to Durlston Head is led by Bournemouth borough council, and its review does not yet have a confirmed start date.

Community Relations

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps the Government are taking to tackle the incidence of Somali youths engaged in fundamentalist activities in the UK.

Phil Woolas: The Government remain strongly committed to working with all communities to tackle violent extremism. To this end, the Department for Communities and Local Government works with a number of different diaspora communities in the UK including the Somalian. We are focusing our work on those organisations that are taking a proactive leadership role in tackling extremism and defending our shared values.

Conveyancing: Fees and charges

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps the Government plan to take to improve price transparency of local authority property searches.

Yvette Cooper: To implement the Office of Fair Trading's recommendation about price transparency for local authority (LA) property search services we have commissioned a study by KPMG which will conclude in mid-July 2007. This will be followed by a formal 12-week consultation on the outcomes. The aim is to have a transparent LA charging regime in place from April 2008. Forty local authorities have already cut their costs in anticipation of home information packs (HIP) because they know that, for the first time, the charges and the length of time taken will be transparent to the consumer and to HIP providers.

Council Housing

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the  (a) set up and  (b) running costs are of the National Register of Social Housing.

Yvette Cooper: The development costs were £2.5 million and the running costs for Communities and Local Government are currently £115,000 per annum.
	The National Register of Social Housing collects information on the size, type, standard, energy efficiency, accessibility, rents and turnover of all social housing in England and Wales. It will provide statistics for the Neighbourhood Statistics Service and for any geographical area and will be available for local and regional authorities and housing associations to help them improve their strategies to provide affordable housing and meet local needs. It will lead to a reduction of the burden on data providers when it replaces the current forms based systems for collection of data.

Council Tax: Valuation

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what contractual agreements Ordnance Survey (OS) has made with the Valuation Office Agency for release of data held by OS to the Agency.

Phil Woolas: Ordnance Survey licenses the Valuation Office Agency to access a range of data and products for use within their business operations. The Valuation Office Agency is a member of the Pan-government Agreement, a collective purchasing agreement between Ordnance Survey and central Government.

Council Tax: Valuation

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the Valuation Office Agency uses fee code segmentation data for valuation purposes.

Phil Woolas: No.

Council Tax: Valuation

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the Valuation Office Agency's contract with Rightmove gives the agency access to data or analysis from the Rightmove Automated Valuation Model.

Phil Woolas: No.

Council Tax: Valuation

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on what date the Valuation Office Agency's contract with Rightmove allowed the agency to start collecting information about domestic dwellings.

Phil Woolas: The Valuation Office Agency has collected information about domestic dwellings in order to meet its statutory responsibilities to compile and maintain council tax valuation lists since 1991.
	The facility to access data from Rightmove's archive of estate agent particulars (which had previously been available to the public on Rightmove.co.uk's main website) began on the date of the agreement—1 June 2005.

Departments: Contracts

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what data her Department collects on contracts awarded to external suppliers by public bodies it sponsors.

Angela Smith: The Department has a legal obligation to compile data on public procurement for the European Commission. This includes data from the public bodies it sponsors.
	Specific data are required for each contract or framework awarded in the last calendar year where the estimated value is above the threshold of the procurement regulations.
	The data required includes:
	The nationality of the supplier
	The category i.e. supply, works or service
	The commodity coding allocated
	The procurement procedure adopted
	The estimated total value
	Whether a contract or framework.

Departments: Credit Cards

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was spent by staff in her Department via departmental  (a) credit,  (b) procurement and  (c) fuel cards in each of the last three years.

Angela Smith: The Department has spent the following via Government Procurement Card (GPC) over the last three financial years.
	
		
			  1 April to 31 March:  £ 
			 2004-05 377,080 
			 2005-06 234,243 
			 2006-07 284,868 
		
	
	The Department also used a fuel card and spent the following over the last three financial years.
	
		
			  1 April to 31 March:  £ 
			 2004-05 3,239 
			 2005-06 1,151 
			 2006-07 235

Departments: Energy

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many energy-saving light bulbs were purchased by her Department for use on the departmental estate in  (a) 2005 and  (b) 2006.

Angela Smith: The Department for Communities and Local Government purchased 1,374 compact fluorescent energy-saving light bulbs in 2005. The Department is unable to provide data for 2006 at this time. However, the Department's policy is to use low-energy lighting wherever appropriate, as part of our wider efforts to improve energy efficiency throughout the estate. The figure does not include energy-saving light bulbs purchased by the Department's Executive Agencies, non-departmental public bodies or the Government Offices.

Departments: Epilepsy

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people with epilepsy are employed by her Department; and if she will make a statement.

Angela Smith: Staff are requested but not required to inform us if they have epilepsy, and as such this information is not held centrally. However we are committed to support all staff with a disability, and work with a network of such staff to ensure that their needs are met.
	The Department's recent Disability Equality Scheme has been acknowledged as one of the top four in Whitehall by the Disability Rights Commission.

Departments: Foreign Relations

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many memoranda of understanding are in force as a result of agreements with foreign Governments entered into by Ministers in her Department; and what executive actions each entails.

Angela Smith: None.

Departments: Freedom of Information

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will list the requests made to her Department under the  (a) Freedom of Information Act (FOI) 2000 and  (b) Environmental Information Regulations in the last six months; and what the (i) FOI case reference number, (ii) request summary, (iii) request outcome and (iv), where appropriate, reason for exemption was in each case.

Angela Smith: The list of requests made to the Department for Communities and Local Government under the Freedom of Information Act and Environmental Information Regulations in the period from 1 October 2006 to 31 March 2007 has been tabulated and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House, together with the other details requested.
	This tabulation is solely of requests handled by the Central Department, and does not include requests made to its agencies or the Government Office Network.

Departments: Manpower

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many staff funded by the public purse in  (a) English Partnerships,  (b) the Housing Corporation,  (c) the Commission for Racial Equality,  (d) the Audit Commission,  (e) the Standards Board and Adjudication Panel for England,  (f) the Government office for (i) London, (ii) the South East, (iii) the South West, (iv) West Midlands, (v) East Midlands, (vi) North West, (vii) East of England, (viii) North East and (ix) Yorkshire and Humberside,  (g) the Fire Service College,  (h) Ordnance Survey,  (i) the Planning Inspectorate,  (j) The Rent Service and  (k) the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre are classified as people without posts.

Angela Smith: The information requested is not held centrally and could be collected only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Manpower

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 24 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1525W, on departments: manpower, what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of keeping the staff referred to in employment during the period in which they were without a post.

Angela Smith: None. Of the 19 staff in the department who were without a permanent post on 30 April 2007 the majority are currently working for the Department contributing to the Department's objectives. Others are on unpaid leave or have medical issues.

Departments: Northern Ireland

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library a copy of the concordat governing the relationship between her Department and the Northern Ireland Administration.

Angela Smith: The Department for Communities and Local Government does not currently have a concordat with the Northern Ireland Executive.
	The principles set out in the Memorandum of Understanding and Supplementary Agreements between the UK Government, Scottish Ministers, the Cabinet of the National Assembly for Wales and the Northern Ireland Executive, published in 2001, continue to underpin our working relationship with the Northern Ireland Executive.

Departments: Older Workers

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what percentage of staff in her Department were over 60 years of age in each of the last three years.

Angela Smith: Percentage of staff over 60 years of age on 31 March for each of last three years was as follows:
	
		
			   Percentage 
			 2005 4 
			 2006 3 
			 2007 2.8

Departments: Older Workers

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people aged  (a) over 55 years of age and  (b) over 60 years of age have been recruited by her Department in each of the last three years; and what percentage in each case this is of the number of new recruits in each year.

Angela Smith: For staff for whom the information requested is available, the numbers requested are:
	
		
			   Over 55 years of age  Over 60 years of age 
			   Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage 
			 2006-07 18 4.1 6 1.4 
			 2005-06 6 2.4 1 0.4 
			 2004-05 20 4.0 7 1.4

Departments: Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the current rate of employer contribution is to each public sector pension scheme for which her Department has responsibility; what the revenue impact would be of capping the employer contribution to each such scheme at 14 per cent. and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: Figures derived from the most recent statistical returns for the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) in England and Wales indicate that in 2005-06, the average employer contribution rate for the scheme was 15.2 per cent. of payroll. For the firefighters' pension scheme, the current estimated employers' cost is 26.5 per cent. of payroll and 14.2 per cent. for members of the new firefighters' pension scheme.
	Introducing a cap of 14 per cent. employers' contributions to the LGPS would reduce scheme income by some £326 million per annum on current estimated figures. For the firefighters' pension schemes, the equivalent estimate figure is some £120 million.

Departments: Public Participation

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many public consultations her Department undertook in the last 12 months; and what the cost was of each consultation.

Angela Smith: Over the 12 months to end May 2007, the Department for Communities and Local Government launched 42 formal public consultations in order to inform the Department's policy development. Information on the cost of each consultation and the total cost of all consultations could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Domestic Wastes: Waste Disposal

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what scientific research has been conducted by her Department and its agencies on alternate weekly collections of household rubbish.

Phil Woolas: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 19 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1659W.

Domestic Wastes: Waste Disposal

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what research and statistical data gathering have been conducted by  (a) her Department and  (b) the Audit Commission on the proportion of household rubbish collected for recycling that is not recycled.

Ben Bradshaw: I have been asked to reply.
	Local authorities are required to report quarterly data on municipal waste (encompassing household waste) to WasteDataFlow. When reporting data, authorities should specify the amount of waste collected for recycling that is subsequently rejected, at the point of collection, at a Materials Recycling Facility (MRF), or at the gate of the reprocessor. The data reported to WasteDataFlow are used by the Environment Agency and DEFRA to monitor the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme.
	The agency has also carried out a survey on household waste materials reclamation facilities in England and Wales. They identified and visited about 80 candidate sites to ascertain recovery and reject levels at each site, verifying this information via a visual inspection of bale quality and the overall state of each facility. The overall typical spread of reject rates for MRFs was from 5-25 per cent. with 10-15 per cent. being the average. Around 1 million tonnes of municipal waste were reported to WasteDataFlow as being processed by an MRF.
	Analysis by the Waste and Resources Action Programme, based on a range of data sources, suggests that a conservative estimate of the amount of household waste collected for recycling which is not recycled is around 5-10 per cent. In 2005-06, a total of 6.87 million tonnes of waste from household sources was collected for recycling.
	I am not aware of any research carried out by the Audit Commission in this area. However, the Audit Commission has published a number of guidance documents containing advice to local councils on how they can meet their statutory requirements with regards to waste by improving their waste management and adopting best practice. The Audit Commission also examines the performance of councils and the services they provide, including waste, through the Comprehensive Performance Assessment, and provides recommendations for improvement.

European Regional Development Fund

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the cost to her Department of the decision by the European Commission to suspend European Regional Development Fund payments for England.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 8 May 2007
	 It is not possible to make an accurate estimate of any cost to the Department. Currently the EC has delayed reimbursing the Government for the claims it makes to cover the expenditure on particular ERDF projects. We are working with the Commission to ensure that any outstanding concerns will be addressed.

European Regional Development Fund

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she expects payments suspended by the European Commission of European Regional Development Fund to England to be resumed; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 8 May 2007
	 The Government received formal notification on 11 April 2007 that the EC was holding reimbursement of payments in respect of ERDF 2000-06 programmes in five (out of nine) regions and the URBAN programme in Peterborough. Evidence is currently being provided for the EC on those regions and programmes so that payments can resume.

European Regional Development Fund

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much is currently suspended by the European Commission in payments from the European Regional Development Fund to England.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 8 May 2007
	 The Commission's decision to hold back the reimbursement of claims for expenditure on projects funded from the ERDF 2000-06 programmes pending further onsite checks took effect on 4 April 2007. No claims have been made since then. The Department however had outstanding claims of £269 million from earlier claims at the time of the Commission's decision which the Commission has not yet paid. The Department is working to ensure that they are reimbursed as quickly as possible.

Fire Services: Hoaxes and False Alarms

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many malicious fire alarm calls were attended by the fire and rescue services in each London borough in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: The information requested is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Malicious false alarm calls attended by London brigade in each London borough, 2001-05 
			  London borough  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 City of London 36 16 31 23 10 
			 Barking and Dagenham 402 340 343 365 179 
			 Barnet 318 300 186 233 185 
			 Bexley 210 144 155 146 60 
			 Brent 477 360 390 344 173 
			 Bromley 240 192 229 195 137 
			 Camden 414 352 335 313 320 
			 Croydon 450 304 277 161 166 
			 Ealing 405 279 298 301 103 
			 Enfield 471 425 395 383 186 
			 Greenwich 573 456 366 362 173 
			 Hackney 642 526 438 409 156 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 216 182 156 139 75 
			 Haringey 474 556 451 404 236 
			 Harrow 165 136 204 251 111 
			 Havering 144 154 147 119 87 
			 Hillingdon 354 308 269 189 98 
			 Hounslow 306 243 202 162 67 
			 Islington 438 366 419 309 126 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 234 146 163 145 80 
			 Kingston upon Thames 108 82 64 65 60 
			 Lambeth 480 435 354 411 181 
			 Lewisham 462 333 582 431 136 
			 Merton 168 127 154 69 46 
			 Newham 975 770 681 511 180 
			 Redbridge 240 214 219 139 103 
			 Richmond upon Thames 84 60 62 43 28 
			 Southwark 594 509 474 433 193 
			 Sutton 144 111 124 91 40 
			 Tower Hamlets 783 842 610 558 252 
			 Waltham Forest 372 259 280 311 157 
			 Wandsworth 312 244 250 216 122 
			 Westminster 444 450 311 354 198 
			 Greater London 12,135 10,221 9,619 8,585 4,424 
			   
			 Completeness rate (percentage) 96 96 99 100 100 
			  Note: The completeness rate is the proportion of malicious false alarms for which we have an accurate geographic reference, and can therefore be matched to a London borough. The table excludes incidents that occurred during periods of industrial action in 2002 and 2003.   Source:  ONS Neighbourhood statistics database, "Fire and Rescue Service: All Incidents" dataset.

Home Information Packs

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she expects to answer question 138411, tabled on 16 May 2007, on home information pack inspectors.

Yvette Cooper: I have now replied to the hon. Member's question.

Home Information Packs

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the submission from the Local Authorities Coordinators of Regulatory Services regarding the viability for local authorities of the enforcement of home information packs and pursue non-payment of fines; and if she will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: We fully expect local authority trading standards officers to carry out their new statutory duties when home information packs are introduced on 1 August 2007. The Department has worked closely with the Local Authorities Coordinators of Regulatory Services (LACORS) throughout the development of this policy and is now working with them to ensure a smooth implementation. Trading standards have the expertise and experience to operate a common-sense approach to enforcement assessing each case individually, and taking into account whether the HIP is being deliberately avoided when deciding appropriate measures to take—ranging from advice and warnings to a £200 penalty charge. Any estate agents issued with a penalty charge will be reported to the OFT, which has the ability to issue a banning order preventing an offender from trading as an estate agent.

Home Information Packs

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many individuals have opted to purchase a home condition report in Phase 2 of the home information pack trial.

Ruth Kelly: In total we have received requests for more than 4,000 home information packs (HIPs) across all the trials.
	We are still analysing and compiling the data from Phase 2 of the trials. We will publish the findings later in the year.
	We are still receiving completed HIPs from pack providers and solicitors. MORI continues to conduct independent research with organisations involved in the trial and with buyers and sellers using the HIPs in their transactions.

Home Information Packs

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent assessment she has made of the potential effect on the housing market of the introduction of compulsory home information packs.

Ruth Kelly: Research conducted for the Department by Europe Economics suggested that had home information packs (HIPs) been implemented on 1 June for all properties there might have been a transitory impact on the volume of properties marketed for sale as consumers adjusted to the new duties. Any such impact was likely to have been small compared with the normal fluctuations in listings. The analysis further predicted that listings behaviour would quickly return to trend levels as the new systems settles into place. Under the revised arrangements, with phased introduction of HIPs, any transitional impacts are likely to be even less significant.
	The report further suggests that any transitional adjustments are unlikely to affect house prices or transactions, and that home information packs are unlikely to be a determinant of future changes in house price trends.
	In the medium term, as home information packs improve transparency and increase competition, making home buying and selling a quicker, more certain and less daunting experience, the operation of the market should improve.
	The Europe Economics research is currently being updated to reflect the phased implementation announced on 22 May 2007. The revised report will be published in due course.

Home Information Packs

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will ensure that provisions are introduced to provide redress for consumers who are mis-sold properties on the basis of inaccurate information in home information packs; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: Consumers will be able to seek independent redress for home information pack (HIP)- related complaints against estate agents who are acting in relation to the sale of residential properties for which a HIP is required. The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, who is the Minister with policy responsibility for estate agents, will shortly be making an order requiring such estate agents in England and Wales to belong to an approved redress scheme for HIP-related complaints from 1 August 2007.

Home Information Packs

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which Government Departments and agencies will have access to the central register of  (a) home condition reports and  (b) energy performance certificates.

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) on 22 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1400W, regarding access to home condition reports.
	Access to energy performance certificates entered in the register is controlled under the Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007. It is an offence for the keeper of the register to disclose EPCs to any other person unless expressly permitted by the Regulations. These Regulations make provision for the disclosure to the Energy Performance Certificate Register by means other than the report reference number to enforcement authorities including the Office of Fair Trading for the purpose of preventing or detecting crime, and prosecuting offenders through the courts.
	The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government also has access for monitoring and enforcement of the Regulations or auditing the work of certification schemes, and that of the register operator, provided that no particular property is identifiable from the information disclosed. No other Departments have access.

Home Information Packs

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what definition of a bedroom the Government intend to use for the purpose of determining whether a home information pack will be required for the sale of a property after 1 August.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 4 June 2007
	 We set out details in the home information packs regulations and commencement order which were published on 11 June 2007.

Home Information Packs

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  if she will request additional resources from the Chancellor of the Exchequer to pay transitional compensation to individuals who re-trained at their own expense as energy performance inspectors in the expectation that opportunities to work as energy performance inspectors would be available from 1 June, until the home information packs scheme begins;
	(2)  if she will make available resources from the contingency fund to compensate those people who re-trained as energy performance inspectors in the expectation that their work would start on 1 June this year.

Yvette Cooper: The reasons for the delay to the implementation of home information packs were set out in the statement on 22 May 2007.
	The proposals we set out on 22 May will mean domestic energy assessors (DEAs) will be able to begin work shortly. We laid revised regulations on 11 June and from 1 August DEAs will also start work with four-bedroom and larger properties, rolling out to all properties as soon as possible.
	We have invited councils and registered social landlords to work with us to introduce energy performance certificates (EPCs) on a voluntary basis in social housing. We are also providing 5,000 subsidised EPCs with every HIP commissioned before 1 August. These two projects will support the transition in the housing market, allow for further trialling and help to deliver early carbon savings as well as ensuring that there is as much work as possible for energy assessors at an early stage.

Home Information Packs

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate her Department has made of the number of four- bedroom properties on the housing market in 2007 which are expected to be unable to exchange on completion of transaction due to inability to provide a previously commissioned home improvement pack; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: We published our assessment of the introduction of Home Information Packs on 11 June. A number of the largest home information pack providers have committed themselves to ensuring that home-owners anywhere in England and Wales should be able to obtain a pack within seven working days at the advertised national rate.

Home Information Packs

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how a four- bedroom house will be defined for the purposes of the revised home information pack regulations; and whether householders will be able to re-designate a bedroom for a different use from 1 August to avoid the need for a pack.

Yvette Cooper: We set out details in the home information packs regulations and commencement order which were published on 11 June 2007.

Home Information Packs

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the  (a) start and  (b) end date is for consultation on the new home information pack regulations.

Yvette Cooper: The new home information pack regulations have been discussed with key stakeholders and scrutiny bodies including the Better Regulation Executive and the House of Lords Merits of Statutory Instruments Committee. This follows consultation in January of this year. A consultation in accordance with the Department's agreement with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors on the age of an energy performance certificate when included in a home information pack will commence this summer.

Home Information Packs

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library a copy of the full conclusions of each geographic dry run for home information packs.

Yvette Cooper: Full conclusions from the area trials will not be available until the end of the year. The implementation update published on 11 June includes information on the assessments that will be done. A copy of the update has been placed in the House Library.

Home Information Packs

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will provide the most recent figures available for numbers of  (a) trained and  (b) fully accredited (i) home inspectors and (ii) domestic energy inspectors.

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Banbury (Tony Baldry) on 11 June 2007,  Official Report, column 817W.
	Regular updates to the figures on trained and accredited assessors will be available on the Department's website.

Home Information Packs

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the percentage change in the number of homes being placed on the market as a result of the introduction of home information packs with voluntary home condition reports.

Yvette Cooper: Estimates on listings are set out in the impact assessment published on 11 June 2007.

Home Information Packs

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to her statement of 16 May 2007,  Official Report, column 644, on numbers of accredited home inspectors and accredited energy inspectors, how many of the 1,110 inspectors were fully accredited on that date.

Yvette Cooper: On 16 May 1,110 people were either accredited or having their accreditation processed to be Home Inspectors or Energy Assessors. Of those, 406 had completed accreditation or certification and 706 were having their accreditation processed.

Home Information Packs

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people in  (a) Middlesbrough and  (b) the North East have completed training to become home inspectors.

Yvette Cooper: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to the hon. Member for Banbury (Tony Baldry) on 11 June 2007,  Official Report, column 817W.
	We will provide further regular updates on the Department's website.

Home Information Packs

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 24 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1527W, on home information packs, what the estimated average market price is of a home information pack for a four-bedroom home, including VAT;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of the average market cost of a home information pack, including VAT, for a four-bedroom house.

Yvette Cooper: An estimate of the cost of producing a home information pack is set out in the Impact Assessment published on 11 June 2007.

Home Information Packs

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library a copy of the Home Information Pack Toolkit produced by her Department.

Yvette Cooper: We are reprinting the Home Information Pack Toolkit, which will be placed in the Library of the House as soon as it becomes available.

Home Information Packs

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library a copy of the agreement of 22 May between her Department and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors in relation to home information packs.

Ruth Kelly: A copy of the agreement is available in the Library of both Houses.

Home Information Packs

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government who will be responsible for assessing whether a domestic dwelling has four or more bedrooms and will require a home information pack from 1 August.

Yvette Cooper: The Housing Act 2004 (Commencement No.8) (England and Wales) Order 2007 provides that homes that are marketed as having four bedrooms or more will require a home information pack (HIP). The Housing Act 2004 makes it clear that the responsibility to obtain a home information pack is on the person responsible for marketing the property.

Home Information Packs

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what role  (a) Rightmove and  (b) Countrywide played in providing advice, research or consultancy to her Department and its predecessors on home information packs.

Yvette Cooper: We have worked with a large number of stakeholders, including Rightmove and Countrywide, on the development of home information packs.

Home Information Packs

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if her Department will hold a consultation on its plans to revise the home information pack regulations.

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the Secretary of State's statement to the House on 22 May 2007.

House Prices and Wages Ratio

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her most recent estimate is of the ratio of house prices to wages in  (a) Dorset and  (b) Hampshire.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 25 January 2007
	The most recently published information on the ratio of lower quartile house prices to lower quartile incomes at local authority district and county level is published on the Communities and Local Government website in Table 576 at
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/pub/218/Table576_id1505218.xls
	The earnings data come from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings of the Office for National Statistics of individuals and the house price data come from the Land Registry. The lower quartile price (or earnings) is that figure below which are one quarter of the prices (or earnings) and above which are three quarters of the prices (or earnings).

Housing

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in how many consecutive years a local authority is allowed to fail to meet its own target for the delivery of affordable housing as recorded in the Annual Monitoring Report before she will  (a) call in the local plan and  (b) direct the local authority to modify the plan.

Yvette Cooper: The Secretary of State's call-in powers in section 21 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 are relevant only in advance of the adoption of the plan by the local authority. The Secretary of State may issue a direction to a local authority to revise an adopted plan within a set time scale. The Secretary of State's powers in this regard would be used only exceptionally, depending on the particular circumstances of the plan in question.

Housing

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when the report on the future of housing policy and access to social housing is due to be  (a) completed and  (b) published; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: Professor John Hills's report 'Ends and Means: The Future Role of Social Housing in England' was published in February 2007.
	The report has provoked a wide-ranging debate on the role of social housing in the 21st century. We are now carrying out a programme of work to address the issues raised.
	As part of this programme, on 19 June we launched two key consultations 'Delivering Housing & Regeneration: Communities England and the future of social housing regulation', which outlines proposals to create a new housing and regeneration agency and responds to Professor Martin Cave's review of social housing regulation 'Every Tenant Matters', also published on 19 June; and 'Tenant Empowerment', which outlines proposals to increase empowerment of social housing tenants.
	Further details of these consultations are provided in the written statement 'Delivering affordable housing, sustainable communities and better outcomes for tenants', laid on 19 June 2007.

Housing: Armed Forces

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the number of service personnel applying for social housing from local authorities under  (a) Part VI and  (b) Part VII of the Housing Act 1996 (i) prior to and (ii) following discharge.

Ruth Kelly: No information is held centrally about the number of service personnel and former service personnel applying to local authorities for social housing in England.

Housing: Construction

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of flat and house sales were for new build properties in each of the last five years.

Yvette Cooper: The proportions of flat and house sales that were for new build properties for each of the last five years for England is presented in the table as follows. Data for 2006 are provisional.
	
		
			  Proportion of residential house price transactions that were new by dwelling type in England, 2002-06 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005 ( 1) 2006 
			 Flats 14.0 17.3 18.8 24.4 22.5 
			 Houses 7.5 7.4 7.0 7.0 5.5 
			 All sales 8.6 9.1 9.3 10.4 8.8 
			 (1)( )provisional  Source:  HM Land Registry

Housing: Construction

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of the homes in the five eco villages will be  (a) social housing,  (b) shared ownership and  (c) low cost housing.

Yvette Cooper: Further information about plans for eco-towns will be set out later this year.

Housing: Elderly

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the arrangements to inform and protect elderly homebuyers purchasing lifetime leases; how many complaints were made to the Government concerning such schemes in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: The regulatory treatment of lifetime leases was addressed in the Government's response to the March 2006 consultation document, "Secondary legislation for the regulation of home reversion and home purchase plans". The Government response to that consultation is available at
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk./media/880/39/responses_homereversion_130906.pdf
	We do not have figures on complaints. Older people can receive free legal advice and information on residential leasehold issues from the Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE). LEASE is a non departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Housing: Inspections

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her Department's latest figures are for the number of fully trained and accredited  (a) home inspectors and  (b) domestic energy assessors in the South East Government Office Region.

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Banbury on 11 June 2007,  Official Report, column 817W.
	Further regular updates will be available on the Department's website.

Housing: Inspections

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) home inspectors and  (b) energy inspectors have been officially accredited.

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Banbury (Tony Baldry) on 11 June 2007,  Official Report, column 817W.
	As I made clear to the House on 12 June we will shortly begin publishing regular updates on the website. This will keep the industry informed on progress and assist its preparations for the next phase of implementation.

Housing: Inspections

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether  (a) home and  (b) energy inspectors will be required to produce photographic identification to enter a domestic dwelling.

Yvette Cooper: Each Certification and Accreditation Scheme will issue identification cards to its members to use when entering a domestic dwelling to carry out their duties. There will be no cold calling by any HI or DEA; householders will have been given the name of the HI/DEA when the appointment was made for the inspection.

Housing: Low Incomes

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many dwellings in England are recorded by the Valuation Office Agency with a value significant code of ZI (subsidised housing—housing association—equity share).

Phil Woolas: As at 3 March 2007, there were 5,254 dwellings in England with this code.

Housing: Low Incomes

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many properties in each local authority in England are coded by the Valuation Office Agency with the WK value significant code.

Phil Woolas: The number of dwellings with the VSC 'WK' as at 3 March 2007 has been tabulated and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House.

Housing: Middlesbrough

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many new council houses are planned for Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland.

Yvette Cooper: Local authority social rented housing stock in both Middlesbrough and Redcar and Cleveland has been transferred to registered social landlords under the Large Scale Voluntary Transfer (LSVT) programme. In the case of Middlesbrough the properties are now managed by Erimus Housing Association and, in Redcar and Cleveland, by Coast and Country Housing.
	The only available data on new social homes is at local authority level. The figures for the period 2004-07 are as follows:
	
		
			  Uni t 
			   For  s ale/shared ownership  For rent 
			  Redcar and Cleveland   
			 2004 10 64 
			 2005 0 82 
			 2006 0 38 
			 2007 12 0 
			
			  Middlesbrough   
			 2004 0 192 
			 2005 0 67 
			 2006 47 34 
			 2007 10 35 
			  Source: Housing Corporation: National Affordable Homes Programme

Housing: Prices

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average price of an  (a) house and  (b) flat in (i) England and (ii) each Government office region was in (A) 2000 and (B) the most recent year for which figures are available.

Yvette Cooper: The mean average selling price of a house and flat in England and each Government office region for 2000 and 2006 is presented in the following table.
	
		
			  Mean average selling price by type of dwelling by region, England, 2000 and 2006 
			   2000  2006( 1) 
			   House  Flat  House  Flat 
			 North East 63,805 45,264 140,773 112,145 
			 North West 70,363 66,139 151,436 137,505 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 68,580 63,623 152,361 132,810 
			 East Midlands 77,292 54,094 163,413 116,615 
			 West Midlands 86,690 58,129 174,413 125,954 
			 East 117,039 67,989 224,600 145,875 
			 London 219,394 163,873 367,623 269,425 
			 South East 156,381 83,055 271,004 162,123 
			 South West 111,126 74,010 223,014 153,658 
			 England 110,087 110,810 211,076 188,131 
			 (1) Provisional figures.  Source: HM Land Registry.

Housing: Sales

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many domestic dwellings were marketed for sale in  (a) England and  (b) Wales in the last year for which figures are available.

Yvette Cooper: Information on the number of domestic dwellings marketed for sale in England and Wales is not held centrally. However figures on the number of residential properties sold in England and Wales each year are available from the Land Registry and are published on our website at
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/pub/162/Table588_id1156162.xls.

Housing: Sales

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes with four or more bedrooms were sold in England in the last 12 months.

Yvette Cooper: The Department does not collect the information requested.

Immigration

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations she has received from local authorities on the manner in which migrant numbers are calculated for the purposes of local government funding; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: The distribution of Formula Grant funding takes into account a measure of the usual resident population, and does not use estimates of migrant numbers separately.
	The Department for Communities and Local Government uses sub-national population projections and the mid-year estimates that are published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). These statistics take into account changes in the population through natural change (births and deaths) and internal migration (movements between local authorities) as well as international migration.
	Questions on the accuracy and calculation of the population statistics are a matter for the ONS.

Immigration: EC Enlargement

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether she plans to take into account the costs since 2004 of interpretation and translation services for local authorities in the eastern region when considering future grant settlements for those authorities; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: The amount available to be distributed by the local government finance settlement is determined by the Comprehensive Spending Review.
	Formula grant is unhypothecated, so there are no restrictions on how local authorities spend this grant.

Industrial Development: Planning Permission

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations she has received on the time taken to receive planning approval by  (a) manufacturers who wish to extend current factory premises or open a new manufacturing site and  (b) mineral operators who wish to extend a currently active quarrying operation; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: The Secretary of State receives representations on a large number of topics, including planning procedure. Complaint about delay—whether caused by poor performance by local authorities, procedure or poor quality applications—was one of the reasons we undertook a major overhaul of the planning system. More recently, the Planning White Paper reports that our reforms have already brought substantial improvements in the performance of local planning authorities in deciding applications within target time scales.
	The White Paper sets out further measures which will improve the handling of planning applications. Planning performance agreements will enable planning authority and developer to agree in advance a timetable and the requirements for achievement of each phase of processing a major application, avoiding unnecessary delay.

Infrastructure Planning Commission: Powers

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the proposed infrastructure planning commission will have the remit to consider planning applications for  (a) large-scale housing developments,  (b) incinerators,  (c) sewage plants,  (d) wind farm sites and  (e) landfill sites.

Yvette Cooper: Paragraphs 5.4 to 5.12 of the White Paper "Planning for a Sustainable Future" (cm 7120), explain that the proposed infrastructure planning commission would deal with development consent applications for nationally significant transport, water, wastewater and waste infrastructure in England, and energy infrastructure in England and Wales. Local planning authorities will continue to consider the non-nationally significant applications in these sectors that they currently consider. The White Paper does not propose that the infrastructure planning commission would consider any development consent applications for large-scale housing developments.

Land Use: Contamination

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of contaminated land was restored to  (a) domestic,  (b) commercial and  (c) amenity use in the last (i) five and (ii) 10 years.

Ben Bradshaw: I have been asked to reply.
	Information on what land is used for after remediation is not collected centrally by my Department. The Environment Agency's 2002 State of Contaminated Land Report, prepared under Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, sets out available data on the identification and response to contaminated land dealt with under the Contaminated Land Regime (Part 2A). A further report is expected to be produced later this year, but will not include information on land cleaned up under the planning regime for future use.

Land: Databases

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what role the Valuation Office Agency is playing in the roll-out of the Valuebill project.

Phil Woolas: The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) is promoting the benefits of the Valuebill data exchange process within the recent initiative to develop closer working relationships with its local authority partners to make it more efficient. As well as implementing the latest Valuebill exchange standard, the VOA provides a validation service for local authority IT suppliers on similar developments.

Local Authorities: Rented Housing

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the number of  (a) local authority and  (b) registered social landlord properties sub-let to private renters.

Yvette Cooper: The information requested is not held centrally.
	Secure tenants of local authorities are prohibited by law from subletting the property to private renters or to anyone else. Tenants with assured periodic tenancies of Registered Social Landlords are also prohibited by law from sub-letting the property except with the consent of the landlord.
	Where a property is illegally sub-let, it is for the landlord to take steps to repossess it.

Local Government and Housing Act 1989

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has to use her powers under part III of schedule 4 to the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 to issue directions in respect of areas of social housing estates which are deemed to serve the wider community.

Yvette Cooper: The Secretary of State has no plans to use powers under part III of schedule 4 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989, but would consider any applications for appropriate directions on a case-by-case basis.

Local Government: Finance

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of local government revenue expenditure was financed by specific grants in each year since 1997-98; and what the estimated figure is for 2007-08.

Phil Woolas: The percentage of local government revenue expenditure financed by specific grants in England in each year since 1997-98 and the estimated figures for 2006-07 and 2007-08 are tabled as follows.
	The table is produced on a non-Financial Reporting Standard (FRS 17) basis to 2003-04 and on an FRS 17 basis from 2003-04 onwards. The main implication is that the costs of entitlements to retirement benefits (pensions) in FRS 17 are accounted for in the year in which employment gives rise to the entitlement, rather than the year in which cash payments of contributions or pensions take place. On an FRS 17 basis, revenue expenditure is now financed by appropriations from pension reserves, in addition to appropriations from other reserves, revenue support grant, redistributed non-domestic rates, police grant and council tax.
	The large change in specific grant from 2006-07 onwards is largely due to changes in the way the expenditure on schools is funded. Local authorities now receive dedicated schools grant, included in specific grants, replacing funding previously included in formula grant.
	The definition of local government revenue expenditure used here is expenditure funded from aggregate external finance (AEF), council tax and authorities' reserves. AEF is central Government revenue funding that comprises formula grant (revenue support grant, redistributed business rates and police grant), general Greater London authority (GLA) grant and specific grants inside AEF, i.e. revenue grants paid for council's core services. The specific grants used here are the specific grants inside AEF. Comparisons across years may not be valid owing to changing local authority responsibilities.
	
		
			  Local government revenue expenditure financed by specific grants in England 
			   Percentage 
			  Non-FRS 17 basis  
			 1997-98 4 
			 1998-99 5 
			 1999-2000 5 
			 2000-01 8 
			 2001-02 11 
			 2002-03 13 
			 2003-04 18 
			   
			  FRS 17 basis  
			 2003-04 17 
			 2004-05 17 
			 2005-06 17 
			 2006-07 44 
			 2007-08 44 
			  Source: Revenue Summary (RS) returns to 2005-06 and Revenue Accounts (RA) budget returns for 2006-07 and 2007-08. The outturn information for 2006-07 is not yet available. Specific grants include GLA Transport Grant.

Members: Correspondence

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the  (a) average and  (b) longest time taken by her Department to reply to hon. Members' correspondence was in each of the last three years.

Angela Smith: The Cabinet Office, on an annual basis, publishes a report to Parliament on the performance of Departments in replying to Members' and Peers' correspondence. The report for 2006 was published on 28 March 2007,  Official Report, columns 101-04WS. Reports for earlier years are available in the Library of the House.
	Information on the average time taken to reply to hon. Members' correspondence is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The longest time taken by the Department to reply to hon. Members' correspondence in each of the last three years is 188 days in 2004; 173 days in 2005; and 295 days in 2006.

Multiple Occupation: Licensing

David Curry: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many licence applications have been received by local authorities in England under the provisions of the Housing Act 2004 for mandatory licensing of houses in multiple occupation; and what percentage this represents of the properties subject to mandatory licensing under the Act.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 21 June 2007
	The collection of data on licence applications received by local authorities in England for the mandatory licensing of houses in multiple occupation is still in progress. The Department will release these figures when they are available.

Multiple Occupation: Licensing

David Curry: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will review the effect of paragraph 2(2), Schedule 3 of the Licensing and Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation and Other Housing Miscellaneous Provisions (England) Regulations 2006.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 21 June 2007
	The Department is committed to reviewing the operation of licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation, including the provisions in paragraph (2) (2) of schedule 3 of Statutory Instrument 373 'The Licensing and Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation and Other Houses (Miscellaneous Provisions) (England) Regulations 2006'. We are currently discussing these with stakeholders.

Multiple Occupation: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many houses in multiple occupation there were in the Peterborough City Council area in each year since 1997; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 19 June 2007
	 The number of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) in local authority areas has been collected by the Department through the Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (HSSA) since 2001. The Department does not hold data on the number of HMOs in local authority areas prior to this date. The following table details the number of HMOs in the city of Peterborough since 2001.
	
		
			  Housing strategy statistical data 
			   Number of HMOs 
			 2001-02 2,000 
			 2002-03 1,000 
			 2003-04 800 
			 2004-05 1,000 
			 2005-06 1,000 
			  Source: Peterborough City Council

Non-domestic Rates

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many notices of appeal the Valuation Office Agency has received in relation to the 2005 business rates revaluation in each year since the ratings list for the 2005 revaluation was published.

Phil Woolas: The Valuation Office Agency has received the following number of valid proposals against the 2005 rating lists:
	
		
			   Number 
			 1 April 2005 to 31 March 2006 269,882 
			 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007 136,903 
			 1 April 2007 to 31 May 2007 18,865 
			 Total 425,650

Non-domestic Rates: Valuation

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) of 27 March 2007,  Official Report, column 1419W, and 15 January 2007,  Official Report, column 848W, on business rate valuations, whether the explanatory work has been completed; and what conclusions have been reached on the feasibility of using automated valuation modelling for business rate valuations.

Phil Woolas: The first phase in a two-phase feasibility study on the potential contribution of automated valuation modelling (AVM) in support of the forthcoming 2010 non-domestic revaluation concludes that an AVM is capable of supporting the revaluation of certain classes of property by providing:
	1. Provisional valuation matrices.
	2. Exception reports to assist in the review and validation of rental information.
	3. Market analysis, including the development of market derived trending indices.
	4. Revaluation 'impact' analysis reports that make available at an early stage information about the likely effect of the revaluation on the aggregate tax base.
	The study has also shown that the AVM can be used to develop local or regional valuation time trend indices as well as providing detailed analysis to inform stakeholders of the impact of the revaluation much earlier in the process than would traditionally be the case.

Pensions: Emergency Services

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reason the real discount rate used by local authorities to calculate the unfunded net present value of the cost of  (a) police and  (b) firefighters' pensions was cut from 3.5 per cent. as at 31 March 2004 to 2.4 per cent. as at 31 March 2005; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: The relevant code in the 2003 Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy specified a rate of return of 3.5 per cent. real in respect of calculating benefit scheme liabilities. The relevant code in the 2004 SORP changed this. It specified the use of an equivalent current rate of return to that of a high quality corporate bond of equivalent currency and term to the scheme liabilities rather than a specific percentage figure. This reflects the Financial Reporting Board Standard 17 issued by the Accounting Standards Board, part of a general move for local authorities to comply with standard accounting practice.

Planning

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when her Department will publish a summary of responses to its consultation on the Town and Country (General Permitted Development) Order 1995; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: The Department consulted last year on proposals to improve the procedure for making article 4 directions to help address the problems that occur with the subdivision of rural land by enabling local planning authorities to bring directions into force more quickly; and to control the demolition of sports buildings by removing permitted development rights.
	We received a large number of responses some of which raise complex issues. We expect to publish a summary of responses in July.

Planning Delivery Grant

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the timetable is for introducing the housing and planning delivery grant; and what the criteria are for determining the level of funding to individual local authorities.

Yvette Cooper: Following last year's consultation on the Government's proposals, the introduction of and criteria for the housing and planning delivery grant are currently under consideration as part of the wider comprehensive spending review (CSR). The timing of any announcement will be subject to the CSR.

Planning Inspectorate: ICT

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what problems have occurred with the Planning Inspectorate IT system Planning Casework Service since its inception.

Yvette Cooper: Following rollout of the Planning Casework Service (PCS) PINS has been able to provide a 'public view' of Enforcement and Planning Appeals documentation via publication on the Planning Portal. However, while PINS has encouraged participants in the appeals process to submit documents to it electronically, either online via the Portal or by email, the majority of submissions made by parties remain in paper format.
	This required a much greater degree of scanning of these paper submissions than had been forecast and was the main problem encountered with the system. As a consequence PINS reviewed its processes and has temporarily reduced the level of scanning to the main documentation.
	PCS continues to allow parties to submit appeals and other supporting documentation online and by email. It also allows interested parties to comment on and track the progress of appeals via the Planning Portal as well as providing a view of the appeal decision once issued.

Planning Inspectorate: ICT

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether a value for money evaluation has been carried out on the IT system Planning Casework Service; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: Following rollout of PCS, PINS has followed correct Government protocol in determining value for money. It is preparing a revised benefits realisation plan and has sanctioned a Post Implementation Review, in line with OGC best practice. The review is at an advanced stage and will be followed by a Gateway 5 review.

Planning Permission: Bexley

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many planning applications from the London borough of Bexley were  (a) allowed and  (b) dismissed by the Planning Inspectorate in each of the last two years.

Yvette Cooper: Planning Appeals allowed and dismissed in the London borough of Bexley are as follows.
	
		
			  Financial year  Allowed  % allowed  Dismissed  % dismissed  Total 
			 2005-06 39 33.91 76 66.09 115 
			 2006-07 36 30.00 84 70.00 120 
			 Grand total 75 31.91 160 68.09 235

Planning: Housing Improvements

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether Part M of the Building Regulations applies to extensions built on houses; and if she will make a statement on the rules on accessibility for people with disabilities to house extensions applied by her Department.

Angela Smith: Schedule 1 to the Building Regulations 2000, as amended by the Building (Amendment) Regulations 2003 (S.I. 2003/2692), states, for Part M,
	"The requirements of this Part do not apply to ... an extension of ... a dwelling".
	Accessibility for people with disabilities to house extensions is therefore a matter for the householder, not for Government.

Polytunnels: Planning Permission

Brian H Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her policy is on the extent to which planning procedures apply to the erection of agricultural polytunnels; what discussions she has had with Herefordshire county council on its proposals for planning procedures for polytunnels; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: The Government have not set out a specific planning policy on agricultural polytunnels. Whether something counts as development will depend on the circumstances of the case.
	A recent High Court decision on Tuesley farm concluded in that case the polytunnels did constitute development; however, local planning authorities must consider each case on its merits.

Preventing Violent Extremism Pathfinder Fund

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the criteria are for the distribution of funding from the Preventing Violent Extremism Pathfinder Fund to local authorities.

Ruth Kelly: The Guidance Note issued to Government Offices and local authorities in England in February 2007 which outlines the criteria used can be found on the Department's website at
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=l506075
	Copies of the guidance have been placed in the Library of the House.

Property Development: Contamination

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  whether her Department has a target for the proportion of new development to take place on currently contaminated land in  (a) England and  (b) East Anglia;
	(2)  what assessment her Department has made of the potential use of contaminated land for  (a) projected house building targets and  (b) non-domestic purposes in (i) England and (ii) East Anglia.

Yvette Cooper: The Department does not have a target for the proportion of new development to take place on contaminated land. It is for regional planning bodies and local planning authorities to make assessments of potential land that might be suitable for housing and other development uses as part of the plan making process. Strict environmental health regulations are in place to ensure that any contaminated land is fully remediated before any development takes place.

Property: Databases

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what access the Valuation Office Agency has to  (a) the Electronic Survey of Empty Homes,  (b) the National Register of Social Housing,  (c) the Register of Licensed Houses in Multiple Occupation and  (d) the Housing Data Warehouse.

Phil Woolas: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 17 April 2007,  Official Report, columns 521-22W.

Property: Photographs

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 8 February 2007,  Official Report, column 1164W, on the Valuation Office, how many photographs were held for properties in  (a) England,  (b) Wales and  (c) each local authority in England and Wales.

Phil Woolas: As at November 2006 there were 23.5 million domestic properties entered in the council tax lists in England and Wales. This was rounded to 23 million in the answer of 8 February 2007,  Official Report, column 1164W. Photographs were attached to 3.1 per cent. of the 22.2 million domestic properties in England and 9.6 per cent. of the 1.3 million domestic properties in Wales. There are therefore photographs attached to approximately 3.5 per cent. of domestic addresses in England and Wales combined rather than the 3.3 per cent. quoted in that previous answer.
	A breakdown by local authority cannot be provided without disproportionate cost.

Rough Sleepers

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people were sleeping rough in  (a) London and  (b) England in each year since 1997; and what the most recent figure is for each.

Yvette Cooper: The Government have published a national rough sleeping estimate each year since the Prime Minister introduced the rough sleeping target in 1998 to achieve a two-thirds reduction from 1,850. The following table shows the historical data for London and England as extracted from the national estimate. We do not hold information for 1997.
	
		
			   London  England 
			 1998 621 1,850 
			 1999 635 1,633 
			 2000 546 1,180 
			 2001 357 703 
			 2002 321 596 
			 2003 267 504 
			 2004 265 508 
			 2005 221 459 
			 2006 267 502

Smoking: Litter

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether ring-fenced funding has been provided to local authorities from central Government to compensate for the extra costs of litter collection arising from the public smoking ban in England.

Ben Bradshaw: I have been asked to reply.
	No additional funding has been provided by my Department. However, the Government have prepared for possible consequences of England going Smokefree on 1 July, including the potential increase in smoking-related litter.
	In May this year, the Government published guidance for local authorities on smoking litter prevention, which was sent to all authorities in England. DEFRA has also funded four smoking litter campaigns for the current financial year. These campaigns have been organised by Environmental Campaigns (ENCAMS), the organisation that runs the Keep Britain Tidy campaign.
	Central to this work is the issue of behaviour change. If smokers refrained from discarding their cigarette butts on the street, smoking-related litter would not be a problem. This is why, through the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005, we took the opportunity to clarify that smoking-related litter is in fact litter. As a consequence, anyone disposing of a cigarette butt is committing a littering offence, punishable with a fixed penalty notice fine or prosecution in the magistrates court. The Government continue to encourage local authorities to use their powers in this regard to take action, where appropriate, against those discarding smoking-related litter.
	We are also in the process of amending the Street Litter Control Notices Order 1991 to extend the types of premises currently falling within the scope of the Street Litter Control Notice provisions. This will enable them to be used against places which may attract outside smokers, including pubs, clubs, restaurants, cafes and other eating and drinking venues. It is intended to commence this power on 1 July 2007. When there is a suitable opportunity, we also intend to amend both primary and secondary legislation so that Street Litter Control Notices can also be used in respect of offices.
	In instances where a partnership approach to deal with a litter or refuse problem has failed, Street Litter Control Notices can be used by local authorities to set out what can reasonably be required of the occupier of the premises in question to minimise the detrimental impact of their operation—for example, providing bins and keeping a defined area clear of litter, including smoking-related litter.

Social Rented Housing

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the number of social housing units built in  (a) the London borough of Merton,  (b) south-west London and  (c) London in each of the last five years.

Yvette Cooper: The number of social rent homes built or acquired in each London borough in each of the last five years is tabulated as follows. Communities and Local Government do not define an area for south-west London so figures have been provided for each London borough.
	
		
			  Social rent homes provided by sponsoring local authority 
			   2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06( 1) 
			 City of London 76 88 0 48 178 
			 Barking and Dagenham 279 162 124 163 190 
			 Barnet 145 177 113 142 216 
			 Bexley 33 143 48 31 46 
			 Brent 415 196 225 158 168 
			 Bromley 147 168 90 60 212 
			 Camden 164 126 81 188 72 
			 Croydon 398 264 82 156 184 
			 Ealing 119 120 122 171 188 
			 Enfield 437 303 238 254 236 
			 Greenwich 324 217 410 135 184 
			 Hackney 271 300 226 234 130 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 132 116 358 166 68 
			 Haringey 234 127 241 164 226 
			 Harrow 113 102 90 52 25 
			 Havering 183 36 28 69 6 
			 Hillingdon 237 118 128 84 74 
			 Hounslow 182 110 237 81 94 
			 Islington 111 183 261 187 253 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 114 121 178 25 79 
			 Kingston upon Thames 66 41 39 127 4 
			 Lambeth 166 215 206 173 288 
			 Lewisham 196 191 277 399 318 
			 Merton 103 75 55 108 101 
			 Newham 351 246 217 281 266 
			 Redbridge 258 159 90 179 92 
			 Richmond upon Thames 41 13 98 123 60 
			 Southwark 205 287 231 301 252 
			 Sutton 127 161 111 214 266 
			 Tower Hamlets 387 380 431 194 675 
			 Waltham Forest 239 232 182 77 133 
			 Wandsworth 49 61 49 98 9 
			 Westminster 307 172 120 215 280 
			 London 6,609 5,410 5,386 5,057 5,573 
			 (1) Provisional.  Source: Housing Corporation, local authority statistical returns.

Somerset County Council: Manpower

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many personnel were employed by Somerset county council in  (a) 2001-02,  (b) 2002-03,  (c) 2003-04,  (d) 2004-05 and  (e) 2005-06.

Phil Woolas: Somerset county council employed the following (from the March of each year):
	
		
			   Full- time equivalents 
			 2001-02 9,481 
			 2002-03 9,968 
			 2003-04 11,719 
			 2004-05 11,956 
			 2005-06 12,377 
		
	
	The changes have occurred as a result of some increases in schools, employees, both teaching and non-teaching and also as a result of Local Management of Schools and the re-internalisation of some services.
	The increase in joint working and partnership working, with external funding—examples are the NHS, the Supporting People Programme, National Care Standards, the Older People's Commissioning Strategy, the Early Years Initiative, Care Direct, Surestart and Passenger Transport has also increased staff levels. In all these cases the county council has been the nominated employer.

Temporary Accommodation

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the number of children living in  (a) bed and breakfast and  (b) temporary accommodation; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: Information reported quarterly by local authorities includes the number of households in temporary accommodation on the last day of the quarter, as arranged by the local authority under homelessness legislation. The number of these households which include dependent children or a pregnant woman has been reported since March 2002, and the number of children or expected children in these households has been reported since June 2004.
	Latest figures, for 30 September 2006, show that there were 1,871 dependent children in bed-and-breakfast style accommodation and 129,341 in all forms of total temporary accommodation. These figures also include expected children when a pregnant woman is part of the household.
	The Government have made significant progress in tackling the use of inappropriate temporary accommodation for families assisted under the homelessness legislation. In March 2002, the Government set a target that no family with children should have to live in bed and breakfast provided as temporary accommodation under the homelessness legislation for more than six weeks. At that time, there were 6,960 families living in bed and breakfast as temporary accommodation, of which it was estimated that between 3,500 and 4,000 had been in bed and breakfast for more than six weeks. The target was met by 31 March 2004 and, to ensure it would be sustained, the Government made the Homelessness (Suitability of Accommodation) (England) Order 2003, which came into force on 1 April 2004. The effect of the order is that, under the homelessness legislation, bed and breakfast cannot not be regarded as suitable accommodation for families with children unless alternative accommodation is not available, and even then cannot be regarded as suitable for more than six weeks.
	In addition, in January 2005 the Government announced in "Homes for All" its commitment to halve the number of all households in temporary accommodation by 2010, and more recently on 14 November 2006, a further commitment that by 2010, no 16 or 17-year-olds should be placed in bed-and-breakfast accommodation by a local authority under the homelessness legislation, except in an emergency.

Temporary Accommodation: Children

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many children were recorded as living in  (a) temporary,  (b) non-decent and  (c) overcrowded accommodation in each local authority in the Eastern Region since 2004.

Yvette Cooper: Information reported quarterly by local authorities includes the number of households in temporary accommodation on the last day of the quarter, as arranged by the local authority under homelessness legislation. The number of children or expected children in these households has been reported since June 2004. Figures reported by all local authorities, including those in the East of England, are provided in a table which has been placed in the Library of the House.
	Estimates of the number of children living in non-decent homes in each of the East of England boroughs are not available. However, estimates derived from the 2003 English House Condition Survey suggest 300,000 children live in homes that did not meet the decent homes standard in the East of England in 2003. This is a modelled estimate.
	Estimates of the number of children living in overcrowded households in each of the East of England boroughs are not available. However, for the whole of the East of England it is estimated, from the Survey of English Housing, that there were 71,000 children living in overcrowded households (averaged over the period 2003-04 to 2005-06).
	There is a measure of overlap between the different housing problems with a proportion of children living in homes with two or all three problems identified. It is not possible to directly assess this overlap.

Urban Areas: Cheltenham

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the likely population of the Cheltenham urban area referred to in the Draft Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) for the South West 2006 to 2026  (a) with and  (b) without implementation of the RSS, broken down by age bands, for each year from 2006 to 2026.

Yvette Cooper: The total population of the Cheltenham borough area given in the 2001 Census was 110,013. For the urban area, which excludes rural parts of the borough but includes the contiguous urban area, which crosses local authority boundaries, the Census figure was 110,320. The most recent population projections published by the Office for National Statistics for the local authority area indicate a population increase from 111,900 in 2006 to 120,100 in 2026. The projections are trend-based and policy neutral. They do not illustrate either the implementation or the non-implementation of any strategy but indicate a continuation of existing trends. Unfortunately these projections are not published for the contiguous urban area.
	The proposed housing figures contained in the draft RSS were submitted by the South West Regional Assembly based on proposals put to it by Gloucestershire county council. The hon. Member for Cheltenham would need to ask those bodies what assumptions they have made about the likely population of the Cheltenham area and the implications of the implementation or non- implementation of those RSS proposals. Following the end of the current Examination in Public of the RSS in July this year and the subsequent submission of the Panel report, the Government will then consider the recommendations in it, and the most up-to-date evidence, before considering the need to accept the RSS or propose changes to it.

Vacant Land: Solihull

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what percentage of  (a) parkland and  (b) greenfield land has been developed on in Solihull in the last 10 years.

Yvette Cooper: The information requested is not available centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Local planning authorities are primarily responsible for approving development in their areas.

Valuation Office

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) of 21 March 2007,  Official Report, column 996W, on the Valuation Office Agency, if she will list the sources which the Valuation Office Agency uses to obtain such information.

Phil Woolas: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 28 March 2007,  Official Report, columns 1596-97W.

Westminster City Council: Temporary Accommodation

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will seek a report from Westminster city council on the number of statutorily homeless households currently being placed in temporary accommodation outside its area.

Yvette Cooper: Officials are working closely with Westminster council to ensure, wherever possible, that homeless households that are placed into temporary accommodation remain within the borough.

Written Questions

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she expects to reply to Questions  (a) 136471,  (b) 136475 and  (c) 136474, on home information packs, tabled by the hon. Member for Cotswold on 3 May 2007.

Ruth Kelly: I answered Questions 136471 and 136474 on 24 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1528W. Question 136475 was answered on 25 June 2007.

Written Questions

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she expects to make a substantive reply to question 139884, on home information packs, tabled by the hon. Member for Aylesbury on 23 May for named day answer on 4 June.

Yvette Cooper: I have now replied to the hon. Member's question.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan: Drugs

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps her Department is taking to reduce opium  (a) production and  (b) export from Afghanistan; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: Further to the written answer my right hon. Friend the Minister for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs (Mr. McCartney) gave to the hon. Member for Ceredigion (Mark Williams) on 23 April 2007,  Official Report, column 908W, I can report that, with our assistance, the Afghan Criminal Justice Task Force (CJTF) has now convicted 390 people (including three medium value traffickers) for drugs offences since May 2005. In April, the CJTF convicted 27 people for possession of up to 58 kg of heroin and 1,283 kg of opium, sentencing them to between 10 to 16 years.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with her colleagues at the Ministry of Defence on how long she expects a British military presence to remain in Afghanistan; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Ministry of Defence regularly discuss the role of British forces in Afghanistan. These discussions are central to the UK's joint civilian-military approach there. The current mandate for our troops, who are in Afghanistan at the invitation of the Afghan Government and as part of the UN-mandated, NATO-led international security assistance force, expires in 2009. We expect, however, that UK forces will be needed in Afghanistan beyond this. The size and duration of the UK military presence will depend on a number of factors including the ability of Afghan security forces to take greater responsibility for the security of their own country.

Armed Conflict: Diamonds

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps her Department is taking on the international trade in conflict diamonds; and what discussions she has had with her counterparts in the  (a) Liberian and  (b) Sierra Leonean Governments on the matter.

Ian McCartney: The UK is fully committed to implementing the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS). The body responsible for this, the Government Diamond Office (GDO), is a department of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), and works closely with HM Revenue and Customs, the UK diamond industry and civil society groups to ensure effective implementation of the provisions of the KPCS document.
	The UK is supportive of the current European Union Chairmanship of the KPCS, which began on 1 January. The FCO has provided funds for the European Commission to second additional staff for the duration of the Chairmanship. An official from the GDO has taken part in a review visit to Romania and formed part of the recent review mission to Ghana, as part of wider efforts to ensure full compliance of the KPCS among all participants in order to eradicate the trade in conflict diamonds. A GDO official will be taking part in the forthcoming review visit to Bulgaria.
	The UK supported the recent lifting of UN sanctions on the diamond trade in Liberia, following an inspection from the Kimberley Process Expert Mission which confirmed that Liberia had the necessary systems in place in order to ensure compliance with the KPCS.
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has had no discussions with her counterparts in Liberia and Sierra Leone on the international trade in conflict diamonds.

Bosnia: Peacekeeping Operations

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with her Ministerial colleagues at the Ministry of Defence on the length of time she expects a military presence to remain in  (a) Bosnia and  (b) Kosovo; and if she will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is in regular contact with the Ministry of Defence and other Government Departments about military commitments in the Balkans.
	The UK works closely with our international partners, both in NATO and the EU, to ensure that an appropriate military presence is maintained. There are two military missions—NATO Kosovo Force (KFOR) and the EU military mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina (EUFOR) Operation Althea. Both are subject to regular review to ensure their posture remains appropriate. The UK currently contributes around 200 troops to KFOR and a handful of staff officers in EUFOR headquarters, along with a battalion to the shared EU-NATO Balkans operation reserve force.

China: Dual Nationality

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps she is taking to persuade China to recognise dual nationality.

Ian McCartney: We are not currently engaged with the Chinese Government specifically on the recognition of dual nationality.

China: Dual Nationality

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people imprisoned in China have joint British/Chinese nationality.

Ian McCartney: The Chinese Government does not recognise dual nationality and thus British nationals of Chinese descent detained in China are considered Chinese. The authorities do not notify us of the detention of people in this category. We do not know how many may be detained.

Cyprus

Edward O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 22 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1215W, on Cyprus, what recent progress has been made on a UN-brokered solution to the situation in Cyprus.

Geoff Hoon: As I stated in my reply to my hon. Friend on 22 May,  Official Report, column 1215W, the division of the island can only be resolved through a comprehensive settlement brokered by the UN. Although there have been no positive developments since that date, we continue to urge both sides to show political will and flexibility to bridge the gap between words and deeds, and to engage constructively with the UN's efforts to broker a comprehensive and durable settlement. The status quo is unacceptable and negotiations on a final political solution have been at an impasse for too long.

Cyprus: Trade

Edward O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the operation of the Green Line regulation adopted by the EU for trade between the two communities in Cyprus; and if she will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: The Green Line continues to contribute towards intra-island trade and economic interaction between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. We welcome all such interaction. The scope of goods able to cross the Green Line under the regulation remains limited which itself restricts the volume of trade occurring. As the EU Commission acknowledged in its 2006 annual report, both political and practical obstacles remain to the effective functioning of the regulation. The Government continue to encourage both sides to lift all restrictions to maximise the potential of the Regulation.

Departments: Aviation

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many flights to overseas destinations were taken by  (a) civil servants and  (b) Ministers in her Department in each of the last three calendar years; and what the total cost of such flights was.

Geoff Hoon: This information can be provided only at disproportionate cost. Since 1999, the Government have published on an annual basis, a list of all overseas visits by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of £500, as well as the total cost of all ministerial travel overseas. Copies of the lists are available in the Libraries of the House. Information for 2006-07 is currently being compiled and will be published before the summer recess. All travel is undertaken in accordance with the "Civil Service Management Code", the "Ministerial Code" and "Travel by Ministers".

Departments: Credit Cards

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much was spent by staff in her Department via departmental  (a) credit,  (b) procurement and  (c) fuel cards in each of the last three years.

Geoff Hoon: The amounts spent by Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) staff based in the UK were:
	
		
			  Corporate credit card 
			   Expenditure (£)  Number of card holders 
			 2004-05 260,821 180 
			 2005-06 917,493 570 
			 2006-07 2,767,719 814 
		
	
	
		
			  Procurement card 
			   Expenditure (£)  Number of card holders 
			 2004-05 674,275 102 
			 2005-06 688,879 122 
			 2006-07 1,036,969 161 
		
	
	The FCO also uses a catering card. The expenditure on this card in 2006-07 was £358,985.
	Fuel cards are used for the purchase of fuel and oil in the UK and for fuel, tolls and recovery in the rest of Europe. It is not possible to obtain precise figures for expenditure on these cards at present, but the expenditure is estimated to be less than €1,000 per month.
	Many posts overseas use corporate credit cards issued by local providers. Information about the amount spent using these cards is not held centrally and could not be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost.
	Our existing corporate credit card scheme began an expansion at the beginning of 2006. One of the main reasons for the expansion was the need to reduce the burden on our overseas posts who had up to this point been required to provide subsistence and pay for hotels for officers visiting overseas posts on official duty. The corporate credit card is used by the vast majority of officers for travel costs and costs associated with official entertainment. The increased expenditure on both the corporate credit card and the procurement card is a result of encouraging FCO staff to make increased use of these cards. We see these cards as a cost-effective and efficient way of paying for lower value goods and services.

Departments: Energy

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many energy saving lightbulbs were purchased by her Department for use on the departmental estate in  (a) 2005 and  (b) 2006.

Geoff Hoon: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) purchased the following number of energy saving lightbulbs in the years requested for our estate in the UK.
	
		
			   Number 
			 2005 2,000 
			 2006 3,100 
		
	
	The FCO has a policy of, where possible, replacing inefficient lightbulbs on failure with energy efficient ones, and as part of general energy saving programmes. We frequently review available options to maximise the energy efficiency of our lighting.

Departments: Northern Ireland

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will place in the Library a copy of the concordat governing the relationship between her Department and the Northern Ireland administration.

Ian McCartney: The Concordat on International Relations (D3) between the Government and the Northern Ireland Executive Committee is contained in the Memorandum of Understanding between the Government, Scottish Ministers, the Cabinet of the National Assembly for Wales and the Northern Ireland Executive Committee. The Memorandum and associated Concordats, (Cm 5240), was presented to Parliament and a copy placed in the Library of the House in December 2001.
	The principles set out in the Memorandum of Understanding and Supplementary Agreements between the Government, Scottish Ministers, the Cabinet of the National Assembly for Wales and the Northern Ireland Executive, published in 2001 continue to underpin our working relationship with the Northern Ireland Executive.

Departments: Official Cars

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many cars her Department owns.

Geoff Hoon: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office Services UK based fleet operates 14 cars.
	We are unable to provide details covering all overseas fleet cars without incurring disproportionate cost as officials would need to contact all of our overseas missions to collate this information.

Departments: Older Workers

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what percentage of staff in her Department were over 60 years of age in each of the last three years.

Geoff Hoon: At 1 April for 2005, 2006 and 2007 the percentages of staff over 60 employed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) were as follows:
	
		
			   Percentage 
			 1 April 2005 5.4 
			 1 April 2006 4.9 
			 1 April 2007 3.3 
		
	
	The FCO abolished the compulsory retirement age for all staff below the level of the senior management structure (senior civil service equivalent) in 2006.

Departments: Older Workers

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people aged  (a) over 55 years of age and  (b) over 60 years of age have been recruited by her Department in each of the last three years; and what percentage in each case this is of the number of new recruits in each year.

Geoff Hoon: The details of Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) staff in these age groups recruited since 2004 are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Financial year  Staff aged 55 to 60  Percentage of staff recruited  Staff aged 60 plus  Percentage of staff recruited 
			 2004-05 18 4.2 4 0.9 
			 2005-06 25 4.7 8 1.5 
			 2006-07 25 4 4 0.6 
		
	
	The FCO no longer imposes a mandatory retirement age on staff below the senior management structure (senior civil service equivalent) level.

Departments: Public Participation

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many public consultations her Department undertook in the last 12 months; and what the cost was of each consultation.

Geoff Hoon: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not carried out any public consultations in the last 12 months.

Departments: Surveys

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff surveys her Department undertook in the last 12 months; and at what total cost.

Geoff Hoon: In the last 12 months the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has conducted the following staff engagement surveys:
	Two separate "wave" surveys (designed to follow up our all-staff engagement survey undertaken in January/February 2006) were conducted in September 2006 and January 2007. Each wave survey targeted 25 per cent. of our staff. The total cost of both wave surveys was £12,409.38.
	UKvisas carried out a staff engagement survey of UKvisas local staff in early 2007 at a cost of £3,719.81.
	As part of its Investors in People accreditation the FCO carries out e-surveys. In tranche 1 (October/November 2006) the FCO conducted e-surveys covering 14 FCO departments and overseas posts. The cost was £2,453.
	Within the last 12 months, FCO Services separately conducted an opinion survey of all its staff. Costs for the survey totalled £18,512, with supplementary reporting currently being undertaken at an estimated cost of £4,600.

Diplomatic Service

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the 10 largest missions abroad are; and how many  (a) UK-based and  (b) locally-engaged personnel are employed in each such mission.

Geoff Hoon: The 10 Foreign and Commonwealth Office missions overseas with the highest numbers of UK civil servants among their staff are:
	
		
			  Post  Number of UK-based staff  Number of locally engaged staff 
			 Islamabad 145 446 
			 Kabul 118 62 
			 Beijing 115 182 
			 New Delhi 108 512 
			 UK Permanent Representation to the European Union (Brussels) 99 51 
			 Lagos 86 332 
			 Washington 77 197 
			 Moscow 74 160 
			 Paris 67 168 
			 UK mission to the United Nations (New York) 53 43 
		
	
	The staffing of our posts overseas is subject to constant review, and regular change, to ensure that it continues to reflect our business priorities.

Diplomatic Service

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which UK diplomatic representation has been  (a) downgraded and  (b) ended since 1997.

Geoff Hoon: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 1 November 2006,  Official Report, columns 467-68W. There have been no changes in our diplomatic representation since then.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office continuously reviews the deployment of its resources and aligns them flexibly in line with UK interests to benefit the British taxpayer.

Diplomatic Service: Crime

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many notifiable offences were committed by foreign diplomats based in London in 2006, broken down by  (a) offence and  (b) country of diplomatic status; and if she will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: We were notified by the police of 126 alleged criminal offences committed in 2006 by the approximately 24,000 individuals entitled to diplomatic immunity in the UK. 15 of these alleged offences were serious offences that would, in certain circumstances, have carried a penalty of 12 months or more imprisonment. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary provided details of these alleged serious offences in her written ministerial statement of 20 June 2007,  Official Report, columns 94-96WS. The following table lists the other alleged offences not included in my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary's statement:
	
		
			   Number 
			  Actual bodily harm  
			 Cote d'Ivoire 1 
			 Kuwait 1 
			 Nigeria 1 
			   
			  Breach of the peace  
			 Brazil 1 
			   
			  Common assault  
			 Mongolia 1 
			   
			  Conspiracy to pervert the course of justice/obstructing the police  
			 Sierra Leone 1 
			   
			  Dangerous driving  
			 Argentina 1 
			   
			  Driving while using a mobile phone  
			 Nigeria 1 
			   
			  Driving without due care and attention  
			 Brunei 1 
			 Israel 1 
			   
			  Failure to stop (after an accident)  
			 United Arab Emirates (UAE) 1 
			   
			  Failure to stop (at a red traffic signal)  
			 Korea 2 
			 Egypt 1 
			 Oman 1 
			 Sudan 1 
			 Venezuela 2 
			   
			  Parking offence  
			 Iran 1 
			 Kenya 1 
			 Libya 1 
			   
			  Speeding  
			 Afghanistan 1 
			 Albania 1 
			 Argentina 2 
			 Australia 1 
			 Bahrain 1 
			 Brazil 1 
			 Brunei 2 
			 Bulgaria 1 
			 Canada 2 
			 Chile 4 
			 China 2 
			 Cyprus 1 
			 Czech Republic 1 
			 Egypt 1 
			 Finland 1 
			 Germany 6 
			 Ghana 1 
			 Hungary 2 
			 International Organisation Officials 18 
			 Israel 1 
			 Italy 1 
			 Japan 2 
			 Korea 5 
			 Kuwait 1 
			 Liberia 1 
			 Malaysia 1 
			 Mauritius 1 
			 Mexico 2 
			 Mongolia 3 
			 New Zealand 1 
			 Pakistan 1 
			 Saudi Arabia 1 
			 Sierra Leone 1 
			 Spain 4 
			 UAE 1 
			 USA 4 
			   
			  Theft (shoplifting)  
			 Azerbaijan 1 
			 Georgia 1 
			 Jordan 1 
			 North Korea 1 
			 Pakistan 1 
			 Thailand 1 
			   
			  Theft  
			 Nigeria 1 
			   
			  Traffic offences  
			 Jordan 1 
			 International Organisation Officials 1 
			 Ukraine 1

EC Action: Common Positions

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in respect of which third countries EU common positions have been agreed; and on what date each such position was  (a) agreed and  (b) most recently amended.

Geoff Hoon: EU Common Positions that have been agreed in respect of the following third countries on the dates given:
	 Afghanistan
	Common Position 96/746/CFSP (17/12/1996)
	Common Position 1999/73/CFSP (25/01/1999)
	Common Position 2000/55/CFSP (24/01/2000), replaced by:
	Common Position 2001/56/CFSP (22/01/2001), repealed by:
	Common Position 2002/42/CFSP (21/01/2002)
	 Albania
	Common Position 97/357/CFSP (02/06/1997)
	 Angola
	Common Position 95/413/CFSP (02/10/1995), replaced by:
	Common Position 2000/391/CFSP (19/06/2000), replaced by:
	Common Position 2002/495/CFSP (29/06/2002), repealed by:
	Common Position 2005/82/CFSP (31/01/2005)
	Common Position 97/759/CFSP (30/10/1997), repealed by:
	Common Position 2002/991/CFSP (19/12/2002)
	Common Position 98/425/CFSP (03/07/1998), repealed by:
	Common Position 2002/991/CFSP (19/12/2002)
	 Belarus
	Common Position 98/448/CFSP (09/07/1998), repealed by:
	Council Decision 1999/156/CFSP (22/02/1999)
	Common Position 2004/661/CFSP (24/09/2004), last amended by:
	Common Position 2006/362/CFSP (20/05/2006), last extended by:
	Common Position 2007/173/CFSP (19/03/2007)
	 Burma
	Common Position 96/635/CFSP (28/10/1996), last amended and extended by:
	Common Position 2002/831/CFSP (21/10/2002), replaced by:
	Common Position 2003/297/CFSP (28/04/2003)
	Common Position 2004/423/CFSP (26/04/2004), last extended and amended by:
	Common Position 2005/340/CFSP (25/04/2005)
	Common Position 2006/318/CFSP (27/04/2006), last extended and amended by:
	Common Position 2007/248/CFSP (23/04/2007)
	 Burundi
	Common Position 95/91/CFSP (24/03/1995)
	 Cuba
	Common Position 96/697/CFSP (02/12/1996)
	 Democratic People's Republic of Korea
	Common Position 2006/795/CFSP (20/11/2006)
	 Democratic Republic of Congo
	Common Position 1999/722/CFSP (08/11/1999)
	Common Position 1999/728/CFSP (15/11/1999), replaced by:
	Common Position 2001/83/CFSP (29/01/2001), replaced by:
	Common Position 2002/203/CFSP (11/03/2002), replaced by:
	Common Position 2003/319/CFSP (08/05/2003), repealed by:
	Common Position 2005/82/CFSP (31/01/2005)
	Common Position 2002/829/CFSP (21/10/2002), last amended by:
	Common Position 2003/680/CFSP (29/09/2003), replaced by:
	Common Position 2005/440/CFSP (15/06/2005), last amended by:
	Common Position 2006/624/CFSP (16/09/2006)
	 East Timor
	Common Position 96/407/CFSP (25/06/1996)
	Common Position 1999/479/CFSP (19/07/1999)
	 Ethiopia and Eritrea
	Common Position 1999/206/CFSP (15/03/1999), last amended by:
	Common Position 2000/584/CFSP (29/09/2000), last extended by:
	Common Position 2001/215/CFSP (19/03/2001
	Common Position 2000/420/CFSP (29/06/2000)
	 Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
	Common Position 95/150/CFSP (28/04/1995)
	Common Position 95/213/CFSP (12/06/1995)
	Common Position 95/254/CFSP (07/07/1995)
	Common Position 95/378/CFSP (19/09/1995)
	Common Position 95/511/CFSP (04/12/1995)
	Common Position 98/240/CFSP (19/03/1998), last amended by:
	Common Position 2001/719/CFSP (08/10/2001)
	Common Position 98/326/CFSP (07/05/1998), last amended by:
	Common Position 2000/696/CFSP (10/11/2000)
	Common Position 98/374/CFSP (08/06/1998), last amended by:
	Common Position 2000/599/CFSP (09/10/2000), repealed by:
	Common Position 2000/696/CFSP (10/11/2000)
	Common Position 98/426/CFSP (1998), repealed by:
	Common Position 2000/176/CFSP (28/02/2000)
	Common Position 98/725/CFSP (14/12/1998), last amended by:
	Common Position 2000/696/CFSP (10/11/2000), repealed by:
	Common Position 2001/155/CFSP (26/02/2001)
	Common Position 1999/273/CFSP (23/04/1999), last amended by:
	Common Position 1999/604/CFSP (03/09/1999), repealed by:
	Common Position 2000/599/CFSP (09/10/2000)
	Common Position 1999/318/CFSP (10/05/1999), last amended by:
	Common Position 2001/155/CFSP (26/02/2001)
	Common Position 1999/691/CFSP (22/10/99)
	 Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro), United Nations protected areas in the Republic of Croatia, areas of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina under control of the Bosnian Serb forces
	Common Position 96/708/CFSP (09/12/1996)
	 Former Yugoslavia (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Republic of Yugoslavia, Slovenia, former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia)
	Common Position 96/184/CFSP (26/02/1996), last amended by:
	Common Position 2001/719/CFSP (08/10/2001), repealed by:
	Common Position 2006/29/CFSP (23/01/2006)
	 Former Yugoslavia (International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia)
	Common Position 2003/280/CFSP (16/04/2003)
	Common Position 2004/293/CFSP (30/03/2004), last extended and amended by:
	Common Position 2007/150/CFSP (05/03/2007)
	Common Position 2004/694/CFSP (14/10/2004), last amended by:
	Common Position 2005/689/CFSP (06/10/2005), last extended by:
	Common Position 2006/671/CFSP (05/10/2006)
	 Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
	Common Position 2001/542/CFSP (16/07/2001), replaced by:
	Common Position 2004/133/CFSP (11/02/2004), last extended and amended by:
	Common Position 2007/86/CFSP (07/02/2007)
	 Iraq
	Common Position 96/741/CFSP (17/12/1996), replaced by:
	Common Position 2003/495/CFSP (08/07/2003)
	Common Position 2002/599/CFSP (22/07/2002), replaced by:
	Common Position 2003/495/CFSP (08/07/2003)
	Common Position 2003/495/CFSP (08/07/2003), last amended by:
	Common Position 2004/553/CFSP (20/07/2004)
	 Iran
	Common Position 2007/140/CFSP (27/02/2007), last amended by:
	Common Position 2007/246/CFSP (23/04/2007)
	 Ivory Coast
	Common Position 2004/852/CFSP (13/12/2004), last amended by:
	Common Position 2006/30/CFSP (23/01/2006), last extended by:
	Common Position 2007/92/CFSP (12/02/2007)
	 Lebanon
	Common Position 2005/888/CFSP (12/12/2005)
	Common Position 2006/625/CFSP (15/09/2006)
	 Liberia
	Common Position 2001/357/CFSP (07/05/2001), last extended by:
	Common Position 2002/457/CFSP (13/06/2002), last amended by:
	Common Position 2003/666/CFSP (22/09/2003), replaced by:
	Common Position 2003/771/CFSP (27/10/2003), replaced by:
	Common Position 2004/137/CFSP (10/02/2004), last extended and amended by:
	Common Position 2007/400/CFSP (11/07/2007)
	Common Position 2004/487/CFSP (29/04/2004)
	 Libya
	Common Position 1999/261/CFSP (16/04/1999), replaced by:
	Common Position 2004/698/CFSP (14/10/2004)
	 Moldovan Republic (Transnistrian Region)
	Common Position 2003/139/CFSP (27/02/2003)
	Common Position 2004/179/CFSP (24/02/2004), last extended and amended by:
	Common Position 2007/121/CFSP (19/02/2007)
	 Nigeria
	Common Position 95/515/CFSP (20/10/1995), last amended by:
	Common Position 98/614/CFSP (30/10/1998), repealed by:
	Common Decision 1999/347/CFSP (17/05/1999)
	Common Position 95/544/CFSP (04/12/1995), last extended by:
	Council Decision 97/821/CFSP (28/10/1997)
	Common Position 2001/373/CFSP (14/05/2001), replaced by:
	Common Position 2002/401 /CFSP (27/05/2002), repealed by:
	Common Position 2005/82/CFSP (31/01/2005)
	 Republic of Indonesia
	Common Position 1999/624/CFSP (16/09/1999)
	 Rwanda
	Common Position 94/697/CFSP (24/10/1994), replaced by:
	Common Position 98/252/CFSP (30/03/1998), replaced by:
	Common Position 1999/452/CFSP (12/07/1999), replaced by:
	Common Position 2000/558/CFSP (18/09/2000), replaced by:
	Common Position 2001/759/CFSP (19/11/2001), replaced by:
	Common Position 2002/830/CFSP (21/10/2002), repealed by:
	Common Position 2005/82/CFSP (31/01/2005)
	 Sierra Leone
	Common Position 97/826/CFSP (08/12/1997), last amended by:
	Common Position 98/409/CFSP (29/06/1998)
	Common Position 98/300/CFSP (27/04/1998)
	Common Position 98/409/CFSP (01/07/1998)
	Common Position 2000/455/CFSP (20/07/2000)
	Common Position 2002/22/CFSP (11/01/2002)
	Common Position 2002/992/CFSP (19/12/2002)
	 Somalia
	Common Position 2002/960/CFSP (10/12/2002), last amended by:
	Common Position 2007/391/CFSP (07/06/2007)
	 Sudan
	Common Position 2004/31/CFSP (09/01/2004), last amended by:
	Common Position 2004/510/CFSP (10/06/2004), replaced by:
	Common Position 2005/411/CFSP (30/05/2005)
	 Ukraine
	Common Position 94/779/CFSP (28/11/1994)
	 Uzbekistan
	Common Position 2005/792/CFSP (14/11/2005), last extended by:
	Common Position 2007/338/CFSP (14/05/2007)
	 Zimbabwe
	Common Position 2002/145/CFSP (18/02/2002), last amended and extended by:
	Common Position 2003/115/CFSP (18/02/2003)
	Common Position 2004/161/CFSP (20/02/2004), last extended and amended by:
	Common Position 2007/120/CFSP (19/02/2007).

Egypt: Frontiers

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with her Egyptian counterpart on steps to secure its border with Gaza; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary spoke with her Egyptian counterpart ahead of the Arab League Foreign Ministers meeting on 15 June. They discussed the current situation in Gaza including security. Our embassy in Cairo remains in close contact with the Egyptian Government on the situation in Gaza and on the border.

Entry Clearances: USA

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs under what circumstances US citizens may be denied entry to live in the UK by UK Visas.

Kim Howells: US citizens will be refused entry clearance if they fail to satisfy the Entry Clearance Officer (ECO) that their application meets the criteria of the immigration rules. In all cases, other than applications for Family Reunion of recognised refugees, the ECO must be satisfied that there will be no recourse to public funds. The criteria vary according to the visa endorsement category applied for.
	The full immigration rules regarding criteria of settlement applications are available on the Borders and Immigration Agency website at:
	http://www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/lawandpolicy/iminigrationrules/

Eritrea: Religious Freedom

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made to the Eritrean Government on the detention of Christians, including children, in that country by the Eritrean Security Forces.

Ian McCartney: The detention without charge by the Eritrean Government of members of minority religious groups, including Christians, is unacceptable and contravenes international human rights agreements to which Eritrea is a party.
	We make our concerns about the human rights situation in Eritrea known to the Eritrean Government whenever appropriate, including by our ambassador in Asmara, and in contacts with the Eritrean ambassador and other senior Eritrean officials in London. We will continue to remind Eritrea of its human rights obligations, including through the EU political dialogue with Eritrea. The UK is in touch with the German Presidency of the EU and our other EU partners on human rights issues in Eritrea.

Eritrea: Religious Freedom

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made to the Eritrean Government on reported human rights violations against Christians in that country; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: The UK remains deeply concerned about Eritrea's human rights record. Actions against members of minority religious groups that contravene international human rights agreements to which Eritrea is a party are unacceptable.
	We make our concerns about the human rights situation in Eritrea known to the Eritrean Government whenever appropriate, through contacts in Asmara and London. We will continue to remind Eritrea of its human rights obligations, including through the EU political dialogue with Eritrea. The UK is in touch with the German Presidency of the EU and our other EU partners on human rights issues in Eritrea.

Ethiopia: Politics and Government

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports she has received of the recent conviction of members of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy in Ethiopia; what discussions she has had with her Ethiopian counterpart on these convictions; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: On 11 June, judges in the trial of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) leadership ruled that those members who chose not to defend themselves were all guilty of one or more charges brought against them by the prosecution. Sentencing is scheduled around 8 July. Cases for those who have chosen to defend themselves began on 18 June.
	I have not discussed the convictions of the CUD leadership with my Ethiopian counterpart.
	We are unable to interfere in the judicial affairs of other countries. However, we continue to monitor the ongoing trial of the CUD leadership. We urge the government and all political parties in Ethiopia to commit themselves to resolving their differences through dialogue.

European Union: Presidency Report

William Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reasons a copy of the report by the German presidency of the EU released on 19 June 2007 on the mandate for discussion at the summit was not placed in the Library on that day.

Ian McCartney: The German presidency released a draft Inter-Governmental Conference mandate on the evening of 19 June. It is not normal practice to place in the Library of the House confidential documents that form part of on-going negotiations with European partners. This document formed part of discussions at the European Council, on which my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister made a statement to the House on 25 June.
	As usual, a copy of the Council Conclusions will be deposited in the Library of the House after the European Council.

Famagusta

Edward O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what her policy is on the status of  (a) Famagusta and  (b) the port at Famagusta.

Geoff Hoon: Over the years, Famagusta and the Port of Famagusta have been the subject of a series of proposals for confidence building measures. A 2004 proposal from the Government of Cyprus linked preferential Turkish Cypriot trade with the EU through the port of Famagusta, with the return of the closed city of Varosha. Since then, other attempts have been made by a number of EU presidencies to broker a deal. None has been successful. The apparent Turkish Cypriot position is that Varosha will only be returned as part of a comprehensive settlement. Such issues highlight the necessity of a comprehensive and durable settlement to the Cyprus problem.

Fiji: Diplomatic Service

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the safety of British diplomats in Fiji.

Ian McCartney: We regularly review the physical and personal security measures for our high commission in Suva and its staff. We remain in close contact on security issues with colleagues at other diplomatic missions based in Suva. We also regularly review the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Travel Advice for Fiji with the high commission.
	The full text is available on the FCO website at:
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket%2FXcelerate%2FShowPage&c=Page&cid=l007029390590&a=KCountryAdvice&aid=l013618386703

Fiji: Elections

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports she has received  (a) on the likelihood of Fiji holding elections by March 2009 and  (b) the restoration of democracy in Fiji.

Ian McCartney: We receive regular reports on the situation in Fiji from our high commission in Suva and our posts elsewhere in the region. We also discuss Fiji with the EU, Australia, New Zealand and others.
	On 18 April the Fiji interim government made a number of commitments to the EU under the terms of the Cotonou agreement. These commitments set out the steps for the return to democracy, including the holding of free and fair elections. Thereafter a team of independent consultants, nominated by the Pacific Islands Forum, released the results of an election feasibility study. The study concluded that elections could be held by March 2009. On 19 June, the Fiji interim government accepted this timetable.
	We, with EU partners and others, will continue to monitor progress towards this.

Geneva Convention

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government take  (a) to comply with Article 1 and  (b) to prosecute breaches under Article 147 of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

Ian McCartney: The United Kingdom has signed and ratified the Fourth Geneva Convention and complies with its provisions. Every appropriate opportunity is taken in our bilateral relations and through appropriate international bodies to promote respect for the convention and its articles.
	The UK has enacted legislation (Geneva Conventions Act 1957, as amended) to enable prosecutions in respect of the grave breaches set out in article 147 in the UK. Alleged breaches of the convention relevant to the UK that are brought to our attention are investigated by the appropriate authorities. Prosecution decisions are made in accordance with criminal law principles by the appropriate prosecuting authority.

HMS Sussex

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether any progress has been made on recovering the wreckage of HMS Sussex off the coast of Gibraltar.

Geoff Hoon: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Derek Twigg), on 7 March 2007,  Official Report, column 1985W. The situation remains the same.

Honours

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which Commonwealth countries have a policy seeking their prior approval before their citizens are gazetted for a UK honour; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: Substantive honours, which appear in the London Gazette, are only given to British citizens and nationals of Commonwealth countries of which Her Majesty The Queen is Head of State. We consult all Governments of the Realms prior to the award of the honour. Similarly, we consult all governments before making honorary British awards to citizens of Commonwealth countries where Her Majesty The Queen is not Head of State.

Ilois: Resettlement

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 4 June 2007,  Official Report, column 238W, on Ilois: resettlement, whether she plans to petition the House of Lords for leave to appeal against the decision of the Court of Appeal on 23 May; and if she will make it her policy to abide by that decision.

Geoff Hoon: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary is considering the 23 May judgment of the Court of Appeal carefully and has in this regard asked officials for further advice. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary reserves the right to petition the House of Lords to grant permission to appeal, as she is entitled to do within one month. If she opts to petition the House of Lords and is granted leave to appeal, she would be bound by the decision handed down by the House of Lords as the final court of appeal, but this could not fetter other measures by the Government to address the decision.
	The Government's policy in relation to the British Indian Ocean Territory therefore remains the subject of possible further legal proceedings and it would be inappropriate to comment further.

India: Work Permits

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the  (a) terms of reference and  (b) expected timescale are for the British high commission's investigation in India into possible abuses of the work permit system; and what plans she has to make the investigation report available to hon. Members.

Kim Howells: There is no current investigation by our high commission in New Delhi into abuse of work permits. My hon. Friend may be referring to the independent investigation which commenced on 5 June to look into and report on the apparent security breach in respect of the online visa application facility operated by VFS Global on behalf of UKvisas.
	The Independent Investigator's terms of reference require an investigation of the circumstances of the apparent, security breach and issues directly associated with it. The investigation will focus on the following key areas: the circumstances surrounding the apparent security breach of the online visa application facility; issues directly associated with this apparent security breach, including the scale of the problem and its likely significance for those who used the online facility during the relevant period; steps taken to address the security breach; and recommendations for further action that may be necessary to address the problem and the consequences thereof.
	It is anticipated that the Independent Investigator will report to my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary by mid-to-late July. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary will thereafter publish the report and lay it before Parliament without amendment. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office will also take appropriate steps to ensure that others who should see the report and may have an interest in it will be provided with a copy of the report or have ready access to it.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with her colleagues at the Ministry of Defence on how long she expects a British military presence to remain in Iraq; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and my hon. Friend the Minister for the Middle East, (Dr. Howells) are in regular contact with our colleagues at the Ministry of Defence, and indeed with the Government of Iraq and our coalition partners, on the situation in Iraq. British forces are in Iraq at the invitation of the Iraqi Government and under a UN mandate. As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister told the House on 21 February 2007, they will remain in Iraq for as long as the Iraqi Government wishes us to be there and there is a job to be done. We remain committed to our strategy of building the capacity of the Iraqi security forces, so that lead responsibility for security can progressively be transferred to them.

Iraq: Religious Freedom

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the risk of violence against Christians in Iraq.

Ian McCartney: We recognise that Christians in Iraq, like all other communities, have been badly affected by the high levels of violence in the country. We are aware of recent threats received by Christians from extremists in certain areas of Baghdad, in particular in Dora. We have raised this issue with the Iraqi government who are taking measures to increase security in that area. We continue to monitor the situation closely.
	Ultimately the situation for Christians and other Iraqis will only improve when the security situation improves. We continue to work closely with the Government of Iraq and our coalition partners on this.

Iraq: Travel Restrictions

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what restrictions are in place on Iraqi citizens wishing to travel to the British Embassy in Amman, Jordan, to obtain a visa for travel to the UK; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The Government do not place any restrictions on Iraqi nationals wishing to travel to our embassy in Amman to apply for a UK visa. Iraqi nationals entering Jordan from Iraq or elsewhere are subject to Jordan's customary entry procedures which are entirely a matter for the Jordanian authorities.

Israel: Frontiers

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will urge the Israeli Government to stop the construction of the fence/wall inside the west bank, including East Jerusalem.

Kim Howells: We regularly raise our concerns about the routing of the barrier with the Israeli Government and will continue to do so. We fully recognise Israel's right to self-defence. But the barrier's route should be on or behind the green line, and not on occupied territory. Construction of the barrier on Palestinian land is illegal and is particularly damaging around East Jerusalem where it threatens to divide the west bank in two.

Israel: Palestinians

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make representations to Israel on its obligation as an occupying power to provide for the protection and welfare of the Palestinian population.

Kim Howells: We regularly call upon Israel to abide by its international obligations in respect of the Occupied Palestinian Territories. We encourage it to ensure the continued provision of services to the people of Gaza, to facilitate humanitarian access and to keep the crossing points open. The humanitarian situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories underlines the need to maintain the current political processes.

Kashmir: Armed Conflict

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate she has made of the number of civilians killed and injured in Jammu and Kashmir as a result of armed conflict since 1989; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: We are aware of a range of different estimates for the number of casualties and fatalities caused as a result of the conflict. Our high commissions in Islamabad and New Delhi monitor these carefully on a regular basis. We continue to urge both India and Pakistan to seek a lasting solution to the issue of Kashmir, which takes into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people. We condemn all violence which leads to loss of life or injuries.

Krill: Conservation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government is taking to assist international conservation efforts with regard to Antarctic krill.

Geoff Hoon: The UK, led by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and supported by scientists from the British Antarctic Survey and Imperial College, plays a leading role in the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) which pioneered an ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management. CCAMLR recognises that krill play a central role in the Antarctic food web. It has therefore taken a number of significant steps, including imposing strict precautionary catch limits to avoid large catches of krill that could compromise the availability of food in key foraging areas of Antarctic fauna.

Krishna Maharaj

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the next hearing will take place in relation to the possibility of clemency for Mr. Krishna Maharaj in Florida.

Ian McCartney: I understand that the next hearing in Krishna Maharaj's case will take place in August 2007. We are in close contact with Mr. Maharaj's legal team who we have asked to keep us informed of the exact date.

Languages: Education

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what consultation she conducted with foreign language  (a) teaching and  (b) using staff in (i) her and (ii) other departments on the decision to outsource her Department's language-teaching operation.

Geoff Hoon: holding answer 21 June 2007
	In its review of language training provision, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Services consulted stakeholders, including senior language training managers. It decided in light of this work and a review of its wider activities that its language training operation was uneconomic and that it should withdraw from providing language training as it moved to Trading Fund status.
	A separate FCO review of language training policy, which concluded that language training needed to be provided in different ways, involved consultation with users of language training services from the FCO and other Government Departments. Following that review, the decision was taken to outsource the language teaching operation.

Languages: Education

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what account was taken of potential cost savings within the existing system for foreign language teaching before the decision was made to outsource the operation.

Geoff Hoon: holding answer 21 June 2007
	Potential cost savings within the existing system for foreign language teaching were considered, including organising more group training, more intensive courses and more training overseas; but it was concluded that these changes could only support the conclusion of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Services review that maintaining a large permanent teaching workforce in London was not viable.

Languages: Education

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what account was taken of the proportion of existing language teaching services that is outsourced in the decision to outsource the whole of the language teaching function.

Geoff Hoon: holding answer 21 June 2007
	The decision to outsource was taken in order to obtain language training services more cost-effectively. More flexible provision of language teaching will improve efficiency. 40 per cent. of priority language training is already outsourced. Analysis of exam performance suggests that the performance of students is not enhanced by having a permanent workforce.

Languages: Education

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what account was taken of the cost-saving changes and recommendations implemented following the language training review in the decision to outsource her Department's language teaching operation.

Geoff Hoon: holding answer 21 June 2007
	I refer my hon. Friend to the answers I gave him today (UIN 140408 and 140409). Although the Foreign and Commonwealth Office review of language training policy made a number of potential cost-saving recommendations, it was concluded that the two reviews of this work and the policy underpinning it supported the strategic business decision to outsource.

Languages: Education

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what cost-benefit analysis was undertaken of in-house specialised high-level language teaching in relation to  (a) her Department and  (b) other Government departments before the decision was made to out-source the operation.

Geoff Hoon: holding answer 21 June 2007
	A detailed cost-benefit analysis was carried out in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Services review, in relation to the competitiveness of FCO Services' language training for all its customers. FCO Services concluded that it would withdraw from providing these services, and the FCO decided in the light of this and its own review of the policy, that it should move to a new business model.

Members: Correspondence

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when she will respond to the  (a) letter of 13 June 2006 and  (b) e-mail of 29 January 2007 from the hon. Member for Birmingham, Northfield.

Kim Howells: I apologise to my hon. Friend for the failure to respond to his letter dated 13 June 2006. This was due to an administrative error. However, I was pleased to meet with him and others from the Britain-Palestine All Party Group on 5 June to discuss relevant matters.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether she has discussed the current closure of the Karni crossing with her Israeli counterpart; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: We remain concerned about the frequent closure of the Karni crossing point and call upon both parties to implement the 2005 Agreement on Movement and Access. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not had any recent discussions about the closure of the Karni crossing point with her Israeli counterpart. Officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office raised this with the Israeli embassy on 13 June.

Middle East: Peacekeeping Operations

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the  (a) contribution of EUCOPPS to the promotion of law and order in Palestine and  (b) constraints on the work of EUCOPPS caused by (i) conflict among Palestinian groups, (ii) actions of the government of Israel and (iii) policies pursued by the international community; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: Created during the UK Presidency of the EU in 2005, the EU Police Mission for the Palestinian Territories (EUPOLCOPPS) was launched as a three-year European Security and Defence Policy mission on 1 January 2006. EUPOLCOPPS aims to assist in the implementation of the Palestinian Civil Police Development Plan, designed to support the development of a transparent and accountable Palestinian police force and to co-ordinate EU and—where requested—international assistance to the Palestinian Civil Police.
	Following the election success of Hamas in January 2006, and the Quartet's statement to suspend all diplomatic and political contacts with and assistance to the newly elected government, the role of EUPOLCOPPS was seriously restricted and was unable to carry out its full mandate. During this period EUPOLCOPPS confined its activities to monitoring and maintenance of existing investments in the Palestinian Civil Police infrastructure, sustaining existing contacts in and around the Palestinian Civil Police and analysing and reporting on developments in the security sector.
	We support the re-engagement of EUPOLCOPPS with the Palestinian Authority.

Middle East: Peace Negotiations

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will take steps to ensure that the Middle East peace process includes concrete provisions to address human rights issues.

Kim Howells: We are concerned about the human rights situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The Roadmap and the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions do take into account human rights issues such as freedom of movement and settlements. We regularly raise human rights issues with the Israeli Government and the Palestinian Authority.

Nicosia: Immigration

Edward O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports she has received on why the Ledra Street checkpoint in Nicosia has not yet been opened.

Geoff Hoon: We strongly support the efforts of the UN to broker an agreement between the parties which would permit the symbolic Ledra Street crossing point to open. It would constitute a significant confidence-building measure between the two communities. This message was reinforced in the resolution on Cyprus adopted by the UN Security Council on 15 June. Although there have been positive gestures by both sides, key issues, including the demarcation of the buffer zone, remain. We continue to believe that the crossing point should be opened on the basis of arrangements used at existing crossing points and call upon all involved to extend their full co-operation to the UN.

Niger: Kidnapping

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with President Umaru Yar'Adua on the taking of hostages in the Niger Delta; and what recent advice her Department has issued for Britons working in the oil industry in the Niger Delta.

Ian McCartney: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not had direct contact with President Yar'Adua on this.
	My noble Friend Baroness Royall of Blaisdon told President Yar'Adua of our deep concern about the taking of British hostages and about the overall security situation in the Niger Delta, when she attended the President's inauguration on 29 May. She emphasised to him the need to secure the release of the five British nationals then held hostage peacefully and without recourse to military action. My hon. Friend the Minister of State for Immigration and Asylum (Mr. Byrne), raised the issue of British hostages in similar terms at a meeting with the Nigerian high commissioner on 13 June.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office travel advice for Nigeria was strengthened on 25 May to advise against all travel to three states in the Niger Delta. Following that change a further, consequential amendment was made on 8 June advising that it was unsafe for British nationals to remain in the three states concerned. These reflect the deterioration in the security situation in the Niger Delta since early 2006 and an increase in kidnappings of foreign nationals since 1 May. It stresses the very high risk of kidnapping, armed robbery and other armed attacks against oil and gas industry targets in the Niger Delta and offshore. Our high commissioner in Abuja has informed President Yar'Adua of the reasons for the raised level of travel advice.

Nigeria: Fraud

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in assisting the Nigerian authorities to develop the capacity to tackle e-mail fraud and other financial crime as referred to in the answer to the hon. Member for Huddersfield (Mr. Sheerman) of 23 November 2005,  Official Report, column 2133W, on Nigeria.

Ian McCartney: The UK and Nigerian authorities, including the British Police and the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), have made significant progress on working together to tackle financial crime since 2005.
	This co-operation is yielding results. The Metropolitan Police Proceeds of Corruption Unit has so far restrained £34.6 million of Nigerian assets, and nearly £5 million has been returned to the Nigerian authorities. For example, investigations into the finances of ex-governor of Bayelsa State, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, resulted in almost £1 million being returned to Nigeria in July 2006. We have also been active in international fora. In 2005 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office provided the UN Office on Drugs and Crime with £240,000 for a three year project to strengthen the capacity of the EFCC. We were instrumental in securing European Commission support for US$ 24.7 million for the EFCC to provide equipment and technical support as well as to strengthen the capacity of the judicial system to prosecute in cases of economic and financial crimes, including e-mail fraud.

North Korea: Diplomatic Relations

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the main achievements of the UK diplomatic presence in North Korea over the last 12 months.

Ian McCartney: Our embassy in Pyongyang has achieved a great deal despite the very difficult operating environment. Our ambassador and officials have been able both to put to Korean ministers our concerns about human rights in their country and to urge them to abandon their nuclear programme. As our embassy is the only representative of the P3 in Pyongyang our voice, especially on these issues, is particularly important.

North Korea: Nuclear Weapons

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports she has received of North Korea's most recent testing of a short range ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The media reported on 19 June that North Korea had test-fired a short-range missile into the Sea of Japan.
	We have since consulted our international partners and concluded that, contrary to initial media reporting, North Korea did not test fire any missiles on 19 June.
	Recent media reporting on 21 June also reflected that North Korea did not conduct a missile test launch on 19 June.

Northern Cyprus

Edward O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports she has received of the  (a) destruction of orthodox cultural heritage in Northern Cyprus,  (b) demolition of houses belonging to Greek Cypriots in the Karpass area,  (c) appropriaton of land belonging to Greek Cypriots in the northern part of Cyprus,  (d) agreement of 8 July 2006 between President Papadopoulos and Mr. Talat,  (e) opening of crossing points in Nicosia and Kato Pyrgos and  (f) measures announced by the Government of the Republic of Cyprus on 21 May 2007 in relation to bi-communal programmes and enterprises.

Geoff Hoon: The Government are not able to prevent property development in northern Cyprus. We believe that the difficult and complex issue of property is only likely to be fully resolved in the context of a comprehensive settlement. In our contacts with the Turkish Cypriot leadership, we recognise the Turkish Cypriots' need for economic development in support of reunification. But we urge them to ensure that any property development that does take place does so in a manner that is both environmentally sustainable and does not complicate an eventual solution.
	Similarly, we call on the Turkish Cypriot administration to show sensitivity to Greek Cypriot churches and cemeteries in the north. Our high commissioner in Nicosia visited the Karpas region on 22 June and raised such issues with his Turkish Cypriot interlocutors.
	The 8 July 2006 agreement between the leaders of the two communities presented an opportunity to make progress towards a resumption of full settlement negotiations. Despite attempts since by the UN to implement this agreement no real progress has been made. We continue to urge both sides to show the political will and flexibility required to bridge the gap between words and deeds, and engage constructively with the efforts of the UN. Negotiations on a final political solution have been at an impasse for too long.
	We consider that confidence-building measures, such as the opening of Ledra Street, and other crossing points, would help bring the two communities closer together. This message was reinforced in the resolution adopted by the UN Security Council on Cyprus on 15 June. The Security Council's resolution also expressed concern about the diminishing opportunities for bicommunal activity within Cyprus. As such, we hope that the announcement by the Republic of Cyprus of a package of measures to address this will promote reconciliation between the communities.

Occupied Territories

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether she held discussions with EU partners in the week commencing 18 June on Israeli settlement building on the E1 plan and elsewhere in the West Bank; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary did not hold any discussions about settlement activity in the West Bank with her EU counterparts in the week commencing 18 June.
	Settlements are illegal under international law and settlement activity is an obstacle to peace. The Roadmap is clear that Israel should freeze all settlement construction including the "natural growth" of existing settlements, and dismantle all outposts built since 2001. The EU will not recognise any changes to the pre-1967 borders other than those agreed by both parties. We support this. Our Ambassador in Tel Aviv raised our concerns about settlement activity with Israeli Foreign Minister Livni on 28 May.

Occupied Territories

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether she held discussions with the government of Israel in the week commencing 18 June on the demolition or planned demolition by Israel of homes in the Occupied Palestinian Territories; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not discussed house demolitions with the Israeli government in the week commencing 18 June.
	Punitive house demolitions—the demolition of the homes of the families of suicide bombers and militants—were suspended on 17 February 2005. However, due to Israeli restrictions on the granting of housing permits to Palestinians in Jerusalem, Palestinians often build houses without obtaining permits. These homes are then demolished and heavy fines imposed. We are concerned about Israel's policy of house demolitions, especially in East Jerusalem, which leaves hundreds of Palestinians homeless each year and threatens to change the nature of some areas of the city. We have repeatedly raised our concerns with the Israeli authorities.

Occupied Territories: Exports

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether she held discussions with the government of Israel during the week commencing 18 June on the  (a) labelling and  (b) claiming of trade preferences on goods produced in Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and imported to the EU; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The Government have not had any discussions with the Government of Israel on these issues during the week commencing 18 June.
	Under a technical arrangement adopted by the EU-Israel Customs Co-operation Committee on 12 December 2004 all imports from Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and claiming Israeli preferential origin have been required since 1 February 2005 to indicate the place of production and accompanying zip code. The full rate of customs duty is payable on any consignment which is indicated as originating in a settlement.

Occupied Territories: Exports

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether she held discussions with EU partners during the week commencing 18 June 2007 regarding the effectiveness of EU arrangements for monitoring the importing into the EU of goods produced in Israeli settlements built in the Palestinian territories but labelled as made in Israel; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: EU Foreign Ministers did not discuss settlement goods at the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council on 18 June.

Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences: Christianity

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made to the Pakistani Government on the suspension of Christian students and teaching staff at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences nursing school in Rawalpindi.

Kim Howells: We do not usually raise individual cases and have not made representations about the suspension of students and staff at the nursing school in Rawalpindi. However, we do regularly raise our concerns over the difficult situation facing Christian and other minority groups with the Government of Pakistan. Most recently, in May, we again voiced our concerns over the treatment of religious minorities in Pakistan, together with our EU partners.

Pakistan: Honours

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the security of British nationals in Pakistan following statements by Pakistani Ministers on Her Majesty the Queen's Birthday Honours.

Ian McCartney: In all parts of the world, we monitor local events that may affect British nationals. Where necessary, we change our travel advice to reflect the situation. We are following events closely in Pakistan and changed the travel advice on 19 June to reflect the fact that anti-UK protests and demonstrations might take place.

Palestinians: Arms Trading

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what military equipment has been provided by the UK to President Abbas's security forces; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: In 2005-06, we provided non-lethal equipment to the Palestinian Authority security forces. This included close protection equipment for the Palestinian Presidential Guard and the upgrading and maintenance of communications equipment.

Palestinians: Overseas Aid

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether her Department has offered  (a) financial and  (b) other support to the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: We continue to support Palestinian President Abbas. At the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council on 18 June, the EU agreed to resume normal relations with the Palestinian Authority and are looking urgently at direct financial support to the government; support to the Palestinian Civilian Police through the resumption of the EU Police Mission for the Palestinian Territories (EUPOLCOPPS); the resumption of EU Border Assistance Mission Rafah (EUBAM RAFAH); and intensive efforts to build the institutions of the future Palestinian state. The UK has seconded staff to EUPOLCOPPS and the EUBAM RAFAH. In addition, we have provided non-lethal equipment to the Presidential Guard and radio equipment to the Palestinian Civil Police.
	We support President Abbas' efforts to move the peace process forward. The Quartet (EU, US, UN and Russia) have also given their full support to President Abbas.

Palestinians: Political Discussions

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with the  (a) United Nations,  (b) European Union and  (c) Arab League on the current situation in the Palestinian occupied territories; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has been actively engaged in discussions on the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary spoke with Palestinian President Abbas and US Secretary of State Rice on 14 June as well as the Egyptian, Omani and Qatari Foreign Ministers ahead of the Arab League Foreign Ministers meeting on 15 June. She also discussed the current situation with her European counterparts at the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council on 18 June. She has not recently discussed the issue with the UN Secretary-General, although Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials are in regular contact with their UN counterparts.

Palestinians: Political Discussions

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with the government of Israel in the week commencing 18 June on the situation in the West Bank and Gaza; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories with Israeli Foreign Minister Livni on 18 June. In the week commencing 18 June, our Ambassador in Tel Aviv had extensive discussions with the Israeli Prime Minister's Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defence, among others.

Palestinians: Political Discussions

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what discussions she had with EU partners in the week commencing 18 June on the situation in the West Bank and Gaza; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  whether she held discussions with the government of Israel during the week commencing 18 June 2007 on the future of the EU-Israel Association agreement; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  whether she held discussions with the government of Israel in the week commencing 18 June 2007 on the impact of Israel's actions on the effectiveness of association agreements between the EU and Palestine; and if she will make a statement;
	(4)  whether she held discussions with EU partners during the week commencing 18 June 2007 on the EU-Israel Association agreement; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: At the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council on 18 June my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary, along with other EU Foreign Ministers, discussed the peace process with Israeli Foreign Minister Livni. They discussed the current situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and next steps. There was no discussion of the EU-Israel Association Agreement.

Palestinians: Political Discussions

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she had with the  (a) Palestine Liberation Organisation and  (b) Palestinian Authority in the week commencing 18 June on the situation in the West Bank and Gaza; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials at our Consulate-General in Jerusalem are in regular contact with members of the Palestine Liberation Organisation and the Palestinian Authority.

Project Al-Yamamah

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 15 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1377W, on Project Al-Yamamah, whether the Economic Counsellor gave a written submission to the Government when he met her Department's officials on 19 January 2007 to discuss the termination of the Serious Fraud Office's investigations; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: The Economic Counsellor from the US embassy gave no written submission on this subject, which was not the main topic of the meeting, when he met with Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials on 19 January.

Project Al-Yamamah

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 15 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1377W, on Project Al-Yamamah, whether she has discussed the issue with her US counterpart; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: There have been no discussions between Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers and US counterparts. But my officials have regular contact with their US counterparts at Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development meetings.

Robert Mugabe

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Stroud of 23 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1315W, on Robert Mugabe, what reports she has received on the intentions of the Government of Uganda with respect to inviting President Mugabe to the next Commonwealth Heads of Government; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: President Mugabe withdrew Zimbabwe from the Commonwealth in 2003. Until it rejoins, we do not expect him to be invited to, or to attend, the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

Russia: Arms Trade

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with her Russian counterparts on reducing the trade in small arms to Africa; and if she will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: The UK continually engages with the international community, including Russia, to improve international standards of arms exports and highlight the devastating effect of poorly regulated arms exports, particularly on sustainable development.
	While no specific bilateral discussions have taken place on small arms and light weapons exports and transfers to Africa, regular senior official level talks are held with Russia on export control issues. The most recent meeting was held in London in May. At this meeting, we restated the UK's commitment to improving transfer standards for small arms and light weapons and encouraged Russian participation at a Canadian sponsored meeting in August, which will discuss transfer controls in the context of the UN Programme of Action (to prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects). We also encouraged Russian engagement in the UN process, now underway, to take forward the initiative for an Arms Trade Treaty, which will cover the trade in small arms and light weapons.

Russia: British Council

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the activities of the Russian authorities towards the work of the British Council in Russia; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  whether she has raised the treatment of the British Council in Russia with her Russian counterpart; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  what assessment she has made of the progress towards the conclusion of a new Cultural Centres Agreement with Russia; and if she will make a statement;
	(4)  what discussions she has had with her European Union counterparts on the  (a) treatment of the British Council in Russia and  (b) progress towards the conclusion of a new Cultural Centres Agreement; what the outcome was of those discussions; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: The British Council has been present in Russia for many years,, during which it has enjoyed the support of federal ministries, local authorities and officials for activities in the fields of education, language training, scientific co-operation, culture and the arts. Hundreds of thousands of people across Russia have been able to benefit from the activities of the British Council network.
	More recently the British Council in Russia has experienced a number of legal., administrative and practical difficulties. The British Council has sought to comply with the demands of the authorities, for example in respect of taxation and other regulations, despite difficulties caused by the lack of clear legal status, Most recently a series of tax inspections in Moscow and across the network was launched and the British Council are providing information requested by the inspectors.
	We have pressed the Russians to resolve uncertainties about the legal status of the British Council in Russia by concluding a new Cultural Centres Agreement, taking the place of a 1994 Agreement on Co-operation in the Fields of Education, Science and Culture. The absence of an updated Agreement is causing difficulties for some regional British Council centres established in co-operation with local partners and authorities. A text was agreed at official level with Russia in 2001. In March 2006, Russia submitted a revised text. Productive negotiations with the Russian Foreign Ministry in January brought the text of a new Cultural Centres Agreement very close to conclusion. However, the Russian authorities have been reluctant to guarantee consent, under the terms of the Agreement, for the British Council to establish centres (which already exist as their current network of offices), outside Moscow. We await the Russian authorities' reply to our outstanding proposals for finalising the text, which we hope can lead to a quick and satisfactory outcome.
	These issues are raised frequently with the Russian authorities at both Ministerial and official levels. Our Embassy in Moscow keeps EU colleagues informed of developments in the course of regular meetings in Moscow.

Salman Rushdie

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made to the government of Pakistan on the reported views of its Minister of Religious Affairs on Sir Salman Rushdie; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: Our high commissioner in Islamabad raised deep concerns about the reported comments made by Pakistan's Minister for Religious Affairs with the Government of Pakistan on 19 June. We would strongly condemn any statement of this nature. It is clear that nothing can justify suicide bomb attacks.

Salman Rushdie

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made to the Government of Pakistan on action by the Pakistani national assembly in response to the awarding of a knighthood to Salman Rushdie; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: Our high commissioner in Islamabad discussed the resolution passed by Pakistan's National Assembly, demanding that we withdraw Sir Salman Rushdie's knighthood, with the Government of Pakistan on 19 June. He stressed that Sir Salman's knighthood is a reflection of his contribution to literature throughout a long and distinguished career which has seen him receive international recognition for a substantial body of work, and stressed that the knighthood was not intended as an insult to Islam or the Prophet Muhammad.

Somalia

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 8 January 2007,  Official Report, columns 9-10W, on Somalia, whether any progress has been made in  (a) strengthening and  (b) improving the implementation of the UN arms embargo against Somalia; and what proposals the UK has put forward in this respect.

Margaret Beckett: The Government strongly support the comprehensive UN arms embargo for Somalia. We sponsored UN Security Council Resolution 1744, adopted unanimously by the UN Security Council on 20 February, which reiterates the Council's demand that all states comply with the arms embargo. The resolution also stipulated certain conditions for exemptions to the embargo for the African Union's Mission to Somalia and for support to the Somali Transitional Federal Institutions. We continue to support the UN Monitoring Committee in its work to observe and report on compliance with the embargo. The UK will continue to consider, in consultation with its partners in the UN, what steps might be taken by the Security Council to ensure maximum compliance with the embargo.

Somalia: Peacekeeping Operations

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance the UK is providing to the deployment of the African Union Mission to Somalia; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: The Government believe that a successful deployment of an African Union (AU) Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) will make a vital contribution to ensuring lasting stability in Somalia. The UK has offered planning and logistical support for a Somalia planning cell within the AU's Peace and Security Operations Division in Addis Ababa. The UK has also offered planning, logistical and financial assistance direct to troop contributing countries, including up to £1.3 million to Uganda.
	We also strongly supported the early disbursement of the EU's contribution of €15 million to AMISOM, which is currently being processed.

Sri Lanka: Politics and Government

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made to the Government of Sri Lanka on the expulsion from Colombo of 376 ethnic Tamils; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave my right hon. Friend the Member for Leicester, East (Keith Vaz) on 19 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1611W.
	The evictions and the reports of human rights violations and civilian deaths in Sri Lanka are a reflection of the deteriorating human rights situation in the country. They can only serve to harden attitudes among the affected communities both in Sri Lanka and overseas.

Sudan: International Assistance

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 4 June 2007,  Official Report, column 249W, on Sudan: international assistance, what discussions have been held with the representatives of countries that have yet to fulfil their pledges of assistance to the African Union in Sudan; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: We have lobbied the Arab League and several of its key members regularly over the last year on the need to honour fully the commitments previously made to provide funds to the African Union (AU) Mission in the Sudan (AMIS). We have also lobbied other potential donors in the EU, major contributors to the UN's peacekeeping budget and major trading partners of Sudan to contribute towards the costs of AMIS.
	We have had extensive discussions with the European Commission over the use of previous and future funds from the Africa Peace Facility for AMIS. We have pressed the European Commission to help the AU to produce the financial reporting required to release additional Commission funds for AMIS.

Sudan: Peacekeeping Operations

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports she has received on the composition of the peacekeeping troops for the AU-UN force in Darfur; and whether they are to be exclusively or predominantly from African Union member states.

Ian McCartney: Troops for the African Union (AU)-UN force in Darfur have not yet been generated. We are pressing both the AU and UN to ensure force generation happens as soon as possible. Troops will be drawn first from African countries and if there are not sufficient African troops available, the UN will source troops from non-African countries. The AU and UN have agreed that
	'all efforts will be made to ensure that the peacekeeping force will have a predominantly African character'.

Sudan: Peacekeeping Operations

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what date has been agreed with the Sudanese Government for the  (a) initial and  (b) full deployment of the AU-UN hybrid force.

Ian McCartney: The Sudanese Government agreed to deployment of the African Union (AU)-UN hybrid force for Darfur on 12 June. The AU and UN have not yet set a date for deployment and we do not expect them to do so until the UN Security Council has passed a resolution mandating the force. We are pressing both the AU and UN to deploy the hybrid mission as soon as possible. At the enlarged international conference on Sudan in Paris today, attended by my noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Lord Triesman of Tottenham,, the UN Secretary-General's team anticipated deployment of the heavy support package for the AU during the autumn, and that it would form the basis of the hybrid force shortly thereafter.

Sudan: Peacekeeping Operations

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans are in place for the funding of the AU-UN hybrid force recently accepted by the Sudanese Government.

Ian McCartney: The hybrid force will be funded by the UN. The UN will also fully fund the light and heavy support packages for the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS). Until the hybrid force deploys, AMIS funding will continue to come through voluntary contributions from donors,

Sudan: Peacekeeping Operations

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what timescale is envisaged for the deployment of the AU-UN hybrid force recently accepted by the Sudanese Government; and what agreements have been reached on  (a) the composition of its troops and  (b) the chain of command.

Ian McCartney: The UN and African Union (AU) are still negotiating the timetable for the deployment of the joint AU-UN hybrid force for Darfur accepted by the Sudanese Government on 12 June. We are pressing both parties to agree on the earliest possible date. The heavy support package to be deployed this autumn will form the initial core of the hybrid force.
	Troops will be drawn first from African countries and if there are not sufficient African troops available, the UN will source troops from non-African countries. The AU and UN have agreed that 'all efforts will be made to ensure that the peacekeeping force will have a predominantly African character'.
	The new AU Mission in the Sudan Force Commander, Nigerian General Agwai, will take over as force commander of the hybrid mission when it deploys. He will report to the newly appointed Joint Special Representative, Rodolphe Adada, who reports to both the UN and AU.

Sudan: Politics and Government

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports she has received on the nature of the death of the former Sudanese Vice President.

Ian McCartney: It was with great shock and sadness that we learned of the death of Sudanese first Vice President Dr. John Garang in a helicopter crash on 30 July 2005. Dr. Garang was returning from an official visit to Uganda when the helicopter he was travelling in crashed south of New Kush in bad weather. Seven crew and six other passengers were also killed.
	In April 2006 the joint Ugandan/Sudanese panel sent a final report into the cause of the crash to Sudanese President Bashir. This report said that pilot error had been to blame. The report was accepted both by the National Congress Party and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement.

Sudan: Politics and Government

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports she has received on the recent deaths at the Kajbar Dam in Sudan.

Ian McCartney: During protests on 13 June against the building of a new dam in the Kajbar area of Northern State, the Sudanese police appear to have used excessive force against demonstrators, killing four people and leaving at least ten injured. Following the incident, the Deputy Governor of Northern State and the local Commissioner of Kajbar tendered their resignations.
	We, and EU partners, expressed our concern about this incident to the Government of Sudan during the meeting of the EU-Sudan dialogue on Human Rights on 21 June. The Government said that they had sent a team to Kajbar to investigate the event. We urged them to conduct this investigation quickly and hold those responsible for these tragic events to account.
	Four journalists attempting to cover the protests were also arrested and detained by security forces. We welcome their release on 19 June but continue to press the Government of Sudan, including through the EU-Sudan dialogue, to respect freedom of the media as enshrined in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

Sudan: Peace Negotiations

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with her French counterpart on that Government's proposal for an international peace conference for Darfur; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has discussed Darfur with the French Foreign Minister, including the international conference on Darfur held in Paris today at which my noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Lord Triesman of Tottenham, represented the UK. The French Foreign Minister then wrote to my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary to explain the objective for the meeting was to strengthen the international focus and activity on Darfur and give the African Union/UN strong international support We welcome this initiative. My noble Friend Lord Triesman visited Paris on 18 June to discuss with the French Government how to revitalise the political process in Darfur and keep pressure on the Government of Sudan and rebels to honour their commitments.

Terrorism

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with her counterpart in Saudi Arabia on tackling the expansion of Islamic  (a) extremism and  (b) terrorist activity in the Gulf region.

Ian McCartney: Saudi Arabia is one of the UK's key counter-terrorism partners. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary last met her Saudi opposite number, Prince Saud, in May, and we continue to enjoy a high level of bilateral co-operation, including on issues relating to counter-terrorism, at both ministerial and senior official level. Saudi Arabia plays a vital role, both regionally and internationally, in the global response to the terrorist threat, including countering extremism and the disruption of terrorist networks on its own territory.

Thailand: Terrorism

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports she has received of fundamentalist Islamist forces setting schools on fire in Southern Thailand.

Ian McCartney: Since the outbreak of serious violence in January 2004 there have been regular attacks on teachers and schools in the three southern Thai border provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat. According to recent Thai Education Ministry statistics nearly 200 schools have been burnt down, 75 teachers, administrators and staff killed and 91 injured in this period. Schools in the three provinces are frequently closed for security reasons. The authorities have blamed a number of separatist and terrorist groups for the majority of the attacks.

Tibet: Press Freedom

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps she is taking to press for journalists' free access to Tibet during the 2008 Olympic Games.

Ian McCartney: At the last round of the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue on 5 February, the Chinese Government confirmed that the new regulations for foreign correspondents, implemented on 1 January, applied to Tibet. However, as with all visitors to Tibet, journalists must still seek permission to enter the region from the local authorities. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister encouraged greater media freedom with the head of the Chinese Information Office for the State Council in April. We continue to urge China to lift its restrictions on freedom of expression both before and after the Olympics and to protect the rights of its domestic media.

Tibet: Railways

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports she has received on the implications for the Tibetan people of the opening of the railway to Lhasa.

Ian McCartney: The Chinese Government maintain the Qinghai-Lhasa railway is helping to boost the local economy, particularly through its contribution to a growth in tourism in Tibet. We welcome Tibet's economic development, but are concerned that it should take account of the wishes of the local Tibetan population and that they should benefit from it. We regularly raise Tibet-related concerns with the Chinese Government and did so most recently at the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue on 5 February.

Uganda: Armed Conflict

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contingency plans she has to evacuate British nationals from Uganda should the situation in the country deteriorate  (a) before and  (b) during the Commonwealth meeting; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Missions overseas where appropriate routinely prepare civil contingency plans if there is a risk in their host countries (e.g. from civil disorder or a natural disaster) that could lead to an evacuation of British nationals. In compiling civil contingency plans, the FCO's objective is to protect British nationals in a situation that poses a serious threat to their safety, and in a worst case scenario, to assist their departure to a place of safety.
	Like many other British diplomatic posts, our high commission in Kampala holds a civil contingency plan, which is reviewed and tested annually.
	The FCO Travel Advice provides information on the risks faced by British nationals when travelling overseas, and is updated on a regular basis. British nationals intending to travel to Uganda should regularly check the Travel Advice up to their date of departure. An easy way to do this is to subscribe at www.fco.gov.uk/travel to receive free Travel Advice updates through email alerts.

Uganda: Elections

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the likelihood of  (a) free and fair elections in Uganda in 2011 and  (b) implementation of the recommendations of the European Union and Commonwealth Election Observers in that country; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what discussions she has had with Commonwealth representatives on the implementation of their election observer recommendations for the Ugandan authorities; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: We have a regular dialogue with the Government of Uganda on all aspects of developing multi-party democracy and engaging with the opposition, building towards the next elections in 2011. We will press for the elections to be free and fair, and build on the recommendations made by the international observer groups following the 2006 elections.
	We also continue to have high level contacts with the Commonwealth Secretariat and EU partners on a range of issues in Uganda, including political governance and deepening democracy.
	I refer the hon. Member to the replies I gave to the my hon. Friend the Member for Stroud (Mr. Drew) on 23 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1316W, and 4 June 2007,  Official Report, column 251W.

UN Human Rights Council

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on proposals to abolish the UN Human Rights Council envoy posts charged with reporting on  (a) Belarus,  (b) Cuba,  (c) North Korea,  (d) Burma,  (e) Somalia,  (f) Sudan and  (g) Uzbekistan.

Ian McCartney: When the UN Human Rights Council was established in March 2006, it was tasked with reviewing its tools and mechanisms, including its so-called Special Procedures (for example Special Rapporteurs and Independent Experts dedicated to specific country situations). On 18 June, the Council agreed a package of measures at the conclusion of this review. Throughout the review the UK consistently took a strong position, nationally and with the rest of the EU, in favour of maintaining all the existing country-specific and thematic Special Procedures. There was a great deal of opposition at the Council to the continuation of country-specific Special Procedures. I was profoundly disappointed that, because of this opposition, the mandates of the Special Rapporteurs on the human rights situations in Cuba and Belarus were not renewed. The situations in both those countries continue to be of deep concern and we will continue to monitor the situation in each closely. I was, however, pleased that the mandates of all the other country-specific Special Procedures (including the Special Rapporteurs on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Burma and Sudan, and the Independent Expert appointed by the UN Secretary-General on the situation of human rights in Somalia) were renewed.
	The Council inherited an Independent Expert on the human rights situation in Uzbekistan, created through the confidential complaints procedure under the old UN Commission on Human Rights. At its fourth session (12-30 March) the UN Human Rights Council discontinued consideration of the specific file relating to Uzbekistan under its confidential complaints procedure. The confidential nature of that procedure prevents us from commenting on any details of the cases and on the position taken by the UK. We do, however, emphasise strongly our deep concern over persistent violations of human rights in Uzbekistan.
	The Council also agreed on 18 June a new system of universal periodic review, which will look at every state's individual work on human rights implementation, including Cuba's and Uzbekistan's.

USA: Ministerial Visits

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which Members of the Government expect to make an official visit to  (a) Florida and  (b) the USA before the end of August.

Ian McCartney: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and my hon. Friend the Minister for the Middle East, Kim Howells, are both visiting Washington between 24 and 25 June. There are no other confirmed visits to the United States scheduled before the end of August by Members of the Government.

Visas: Administration

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many refusal stamps erroneously issued by UKvisas were removed in each of the last five years.

Kim Howells: The information requested by the hon. Member is not recorded by UKvisas.

Visas: Administration

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many administrative errors involving the erroneous issuing of visas by UKvisas were detected in each of the last five years.

Kim Howells: The information requested by the hon. Member is not recorded by UKvisas.

Western Sahara

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with her  (a) Moroccan counterparts and  (b) counterparts at the United Nations on the disputed area of Western Sahara; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not discussed the Western Sahara with her Moroccan or UN counterparts, but my hon. Friend the Minister for the Middle East (Dr. Howells), has discussed the issue with Moroccan ministers twice this year, in February and April, and UK officials in New York are in regular contact with the UN and representatives of the parties to the dispute.
	The UK regards the status of Western Sahara as undetermined, pending UN efforts to find a solution. To this end, the UK fully supports the efforts of the UN Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy to the Western Sahara, Peter Van Walsum, to assist the parties to achieve a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution, which will provide for the self determination of the people of Western Sahara.
	On 30 April the UN Security Council, chaired by the UK, adopted UN Security Council Resolution 1754, which took note of Morocco's proposal presented to the UN Secretary-General on 11 April, and called for both sides to enter into negotiations without preconditions.
	The UK welcomes the first round of these talks between Morocco, the Polisario, and their neighbours, hosted by the UN on 18-19 June and the agreement by all parties to take part in a further round in August.

Whales

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with her  (a) Japanese and  (b) Icelandic counterparts on reducing and stopping the hunting of whales in international waters.

Ian McCartney: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has had no recent discussions with her Japanese or Icelandic counterparts on whaling. However, our Ambassadors raise the subject frequently with their host governments. Most recently our Ambassador in Tokyo discussed the issue with the Japanese Foreign Ministry in December 2006 and our Ambassador in Reykjavik raised the issue with the Icelandic Minister of Foreign Affairs on 6 June, the Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture on 12 June and with the Icelandic Minister of the Environment on 13 June.

Yemen: Terrorism

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government are taking to assist the Yemeni government in fighting terrorism.

Ian McCartney: We maintain a wide-ranging dialogue with the Government of Yemen including on issues relating to counter terrorism (CT). We are supporting the Yemeni government in developing its CT capability, for example the provision of training for the nascent national coastguard. My hon. Friend the Minister for the Middle East, (Dr. Howells), has made two visits to Yemen, in January 2006 and 2007; on both occasions, he expressed the hope that our bilateral CT exchanges would continue to develop.

Younis Masih

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made to the Pakistani Government on the death sentence for blasphemy imposed on Younis Masih.

Kim Howells: We have not recently made any representations to the Pakistani authorities concerning Younis Masih. However, we are aware of this case and continue to follow developments closely. We regularly raise our concerns about the treatment of religious minorities in Pakistan, both bilaterally and with our EU partners. We oppose the death penalty in all circumstances as a matter of principle.

Yu Lam Chan

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what further steps she plans to take on the case of joint UK/Chinese citizen Mr. Yu Lam Chan, imprisoned in China.

Ian McCartney: The Chinese authorities continue to deny UK officials consular access to Mr. Yu Lam Chan as they consider him to be a Chinese national in China. The Director for Consular Services in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office raised this case with his Chinese counterpart on 5 June and we will continue to raise our concerns over Mr. Yu Lam Chan's health and welfare with the Chinese authorities at every appropriate opportunity.

Yu Lam Chan

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what her most recent assessment is of the medical condition of UK citizen Mr. Yu Lam Chan, imprisoned in China.

Ian McCartney: Consular officials do not have first hand knowledge of Mr. Yu Lam Chan's medical conditions, as they are not permitted access to him. However, officials do maintain contact with family members and we have made clear our concerns to the Chinese authorities regarding Mr. Yu Lam Chan's health and welfare. The Chinese authorities assure us that he is receiving appropriate treatment for his illnesses.

Yu Lam Chan

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether Mr. Yu Lam Chan has at any time been employed by the British Government in any capacity.

Ian McCartney: Mr. Yu Lam Chan is currently serving a prison sentence in China on charges of espionage. It is the long-standing policy of the Government not to comment on intelligence allegations.

Yu Lam Chan

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contact she has had with the UN High Commission for Refugees on the case of Mr. Yu Lam Chan, a British citizen imprisoned in China.

Ian McCartney: The Government have had no contact with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees on this case.

Zimbabwe: Politics and Government

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports she has received on meetings held in South Africa between Zanu-PF and the Movement for Democratic Change.

Ian McCartney: My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister discussed the progress of the Southern African Development Community initiative with President Mbeki during his recent visit to South Africa. We have welcomed Mbeki's commitment to encourage internal dialogue between the parties in Zimbabwe. It is important that the dialogue addresses ongoing problems of governance, the need for a wider democratic space and respect for human rights, as well as preparing the ground for free and fair elections in Zimbabwe in March 2008. We will continue to keep in close touch with the South Africans and others in the region as the talks between ZANU-PF and the Movement for Democratic Change continue.

Zimbabwe: Politics and Government

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made to the Government of Uganda on President Museveni's  (a) support for President Mugabe's land policies and  (b) statement that Britain was responsible for the economic and social problems in Zimbabwe; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: We have not made specific representations to the Government of Uganda on these issues. However our high commissioner in Kampala lobbied the Ugandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs in March to seek support for an EU Statement at the UN Human Rights Council condemning recent human rights abuses in Zimbabwe. Following this and other exchanges, the Government of Uganda will be aware of our wider policy on Zimbabwe.

HEALTH

Accident and Emergency Departments: Closures

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what her Department's practice is on consulting other Government Departments before deciding on the closure of  (a) accident and emergency departments and  (b) maternity units; and which other Departments are consulted in each case.

Andy Burnham: Any proposals for major changes are a matter for the national health service locally in conjunction with local stakeholders. Changes to local health services are subject to full public consultation.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Sussex

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the most recent waiting time levels were in accident and emergency departments in all Sussex hospitals.

Andy Burnham: The Department does not collect accident and emergency (A&E) waiting time data at individual hospital level. Information is available at trust level. The following table provides the percentage of patients spending under four hours between arrival in A&E and admission, transfer or discharge for the latest period for which data have been published.
	
		
			  Percentage of patients spending under four hours between arrival in A&E and admission, transfer or discharge, quarter 4 (January to March) 2007 
			  Organisation  Percentage of patients 
			 Royal West Sussex NHS Trust 98.2 
			 Worthing and Southlands Hospitals NHS Trust 97.6 
			 Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust 94.3 
			 East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust 97.6 
			  Source: Department of Health dataset QMAE.

Agency Nurses

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the expenditure by the NHS on temporary nursing in each of the last seven years; and what proportion of expenditure on nurses this represents.

Rosie Winterton: The information is as follows:
	
		
			  Nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff costs 
			  £ 
			   NHS paybill  Non-NHS paybill( 1)  Proportion of total (percentage) 
			 1999-2000 7,330,271,609 361,656,683 4.7 
			 2000-01 7,902,410,872 435,431,882 5.2 
			 2001-02 8,825,373,201 554,323,821 5.9 
			 2002-03 9,642,764,077 589,739,230 5.8 
			 2003-04 10,371,446,299 524,675,129 4.8 
			 2004-05 10,812,763,000 399,995,000 3.6 
			 2005-06 11,200,735,000 321,313,500 2.8 
			 (1 )Agency.  Note: Financial returns data do not include spend by foundation trusts.  Source: Trust financial returns (TFR), primary care trust financial returns (PFR) and strategic health authority/health authority financial returns (HFR).

Agency Nurses

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the effect on patient safety of temporary nursing in the NHS.

Rosie Winterton: It is the responsibility of national health service trusts to assess the effect on patient safety of temporary nursing in the NHS. Staff provided by NHS Professionals, are subject to the same stringent checks as any other substantive employee and as set out in the NHS Employers' document "Safer Recruitment—A Guide for NHS Employers". In addition, nursing agencies, on the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency Framework Agreements, are audited on an annual basis.

Agency Nurses

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to help NHS trusts  (a) plan and  (b) manage their demand for temporary nursing staff.

Rosie Winterton: It is the responsibility of national health service trusts to plan and manage their demand for temporary nursing staff in the context of local business and workforce planning. NHS Professionals can play a significant role in assisting trusts manage their demand whilst maintaining quality and achieving value for money.

Ambulance Services

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she will publish the Ambulance Trust performance data for 2006-07.

Andy Burnham: The information requested was published by the Information Centre for health and social care on 21 June 2007 and can be accessed at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/audits-and-performance/ambulance.
	The Information Centre for health and social care will produce printed copies of "Ambulance Services, England 2006-2007" shortly and copies will be placed in the Library once they are available.

Ambulance Services

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of whether emergency medical technicians are able to deliver the same level of care as paramedics in the case of callouts to patients with epilepsy and cerebral palsy.

Andy Burnham: The treatment administered to a patient with cerebral palsy would depend on the primary illness, symptoms or injury that they presented with rather than necessarily the underlying condition. I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 6 June 2007,  Official Report, column 559W, in which I provided information on the types of care that can be provided by an ambulance paramedic and an emergency medical technician (EMTs). In relation specifically to the treatment of patients with epilepsy, paramedics can supply and administer rectal diazepam, whilst EMTs can only administer the drug if it was already in the possession of the patient.

Ambulance Services: Protective Clothing

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which NHS ambulance trusts issue their paramedics with stab proof vest protection; what discussion she has held on stab proof vest protection for paramedics; what assessment she has made of the merits of providing stab proof vest protection for paramedics; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: In April 2003, the NHS Security Management Service (NHS SMS) was created and assumed responsibility for the management of security related matters in the national health service, including tackling violence against NHS staff.
	However, information on the NHS ambulance trusts which issue their paramedics with stab proof vest protection is not held centrally. Each trust will make their own decision based on local risk assessments.
	The Safer Hospitals Project has looked at the use of stab proof vests in the ambulance service. The results will be made available in due course.

Ambulance Services: Sussex

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many 999 calls for Sussex ambulances have been received in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many category A incidents have been attended by Sussex ambulances in each of the last three years, broken down by local authority district.

Andy Burnham: Information on number of emergency calls and number of category A incidents is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Emergency calls and emergency incidents (calls resulting in response arriving at the scene of the incident) by specified ambulance service( 1) , 2002-03 to 2006-07 
			  2006 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  Q1  Q2-4  Q1-4 
			  Emergency calls 
			 South East Coast Ambulance Trust 403,267 436,142 460,323 493,022 116,882 377,484 494,366 
			 Kent Ambulance NHS Trust 144,764 158,121 166,732 182,320 39,343 n/a n/a 
			 Surrey Ambulance Service NHS Trust 99,145 105,007 112,886 121,794 30,794 n/a n/a 
			 Sussex Ambulance NHS Trust 159,358 173,014 180,705 188,908 46,745 n/a n/a 
			 
			  Category A incidents 
			 South East Coast Ambulance Trust 89,243 96,149 95,736 117,438 31,221 111,155 142,376 
			 Kent Ambulance NHS Trust 39,258 42,257 39,932 44,185 11,414 n/a n/a 
			 Surrey Ambulance Service NHS Trust 25,384 24,922 26,226 33,348 8,445 n/a n/a 
			 Sussex Ambulance NHS Trust 24,601 28,970 29,578 39,905 11,362 n/a n/a 
			 n/a = not applicable. (1) On 1 July 2006, Sussex ambulance service merged with Surrey ambulance service and Kent ambulance service to become South East Coast Ambulance Service Trust. Data is only available for ambulance trusts, it is not available for the location of the incident.  Source: Form KA34 Information Centre for Health and Social Care

Benzodiazepines

Doug Naysmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prescriptions of  (a) benzodiazepine drugs and  (b) antidepressants were dispensed in the community in England in 2006.

Caroline Flint: In 2006, 10.769 million prescription items were dispensed for benzodiazepines in the community in England. Benzodiazepines are defined in section 4.1.1 and 4.1.2 of the British National Formulary (BNF). Benzodiazepines defined in section 4.8.1 of the BNF for the treatment of epilepsy are not included.
	In the same period, 31.038 million prescription items were dispensed for antidepressants in the community in England, as defined in section 4.3 of the BNF.
	Prescription information is taken from the Prescription Cost Analysis system, supplied by the Prescription Pricing Division of the Business Services Authority.

Blood: Contamination

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 12 June 2007,  Official Report, column 988W, on blood: contamination, what correspondence her Department has had with  (a) the UK Haemophilia Centre Doctors' Organisation and  (b) clinicians on the inquiry chaired by Lord Archer into contaminated blood and blood products; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The Department has not had any formal correspondence with the United Kingdom Haemophilia Centre Doctors' Organisation or with clinicians about the Lord Archer inquiry.

Blood: Imports

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 4 June 2007,  Official Report, columns 279-80W, on blood: imports, 
	(1)  how much was spent on commercially imported AHG concentrate/factor VIII blood products by health authorities under arrangements centrally negotiated by her Department in each year from 1977 to 1990; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what records her Department holds on centrally negotiated arrangements for the purchase of commercially imported AHG concentrate/factor VIII blood products for health authorities in the 1970s and 1980s; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  how many blood donations were used to prepare AHG concentrate/factor VIII blood products in the UK in each year from 1977 to 1985; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: This information can be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

Blood: Safety

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 15 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1381W, on blood: safety, on what date her Department plans to release the next batch of documents identified in the Review of Documentation relating to the safety of Blood Products 1970 to 1985; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The first batch of papers were sent to the inquiry team on 15 June. Arrangements are in hand to place these papers on the Department's website. As indicated previously we will be sending papers to the inquiry team at monthly intervals.

Broadband: Health Hazards

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the potential effects on the health of  (a) adults and  (b) children of radio waves from home wireless broadband systems; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The independent Advisory Group on Non-ionising Radiation (AGNIR) undertook a comprehensive assessment of radio waves and health in 2003. Its report, entitled "Health Effects from Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields", was published by the then National Radiological Protection Board (now the Radiation Protection Division of the Health Protection Agency (HPA)). Copies are available in the Library and on the HPA website:
	www.hpa.org.uk/radiation/publications/documents_of_nrpb/abstracts/absd14-2.htm
	All devices that emit radio waves (such as wireless internet) should be used in compliance with the exposure guidelines published by the International Commission on Non-ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) as specified in the European Recommendation on limiting public exposure to electromagnetic fields (EC/519/1999).
	Information about wireless devices and health is available on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Aboutus/MinistersandDepartmentLeaders/ChiefMedicalOfficer/Features/FeaturesArchive/Browsable/DH_5369553
	The Government acknowledges further advice provided by the HPA at:
	www.hpa.org.uk/radiation/understand/radiation_topics/emf/wifi.htm
	This states:
	"There is no consistent evidence to date that WiFi and wireless local area networks adversely affect the health of the general population. The signals are very low power, typically 0.1 watt (100 milliwatts) in both the computer and the router (access point) and the results so far show exposures are well within internationally accepted (ICNIRP) guidelines. Based on current knowledge and experience, radio frequency (RF) exposures from WiFi are likely to be lower than those from mobile phones. Also, the frequencies used in WiFi are broadly the same as those from traditional RF applications."

Cancer: Medical Treatments

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the impact of  (a) existing NHS deficits on the take up of treatment approved by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence for use in lymphatic cancer and  (b) (i) payment by results and (ii) practice based commissioning on the availability of these treatments.

Andy Burnham: It is the responsibility of primary care trusts (PCTs) and strategic health authorities to analyse their local situation and develop plans, in liaison with their local national health service trusts and primary care providers, to deliver high quality NHS services.
	PCTs are under a legal requirement to fund the provision of treatments within three months of a positive National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) appraisal being finalised. PCTs should use their best endeavours to ensure that any new treatments recommended by NICE are available as soon as possible after publication of final guidance. If it is possible for PCTs to make the necessary arrangements without using the full three month period then they should do so.
	Where treatments and services fall under payment by results, this activity is paid for at the national tariff price. Funding for services outside the scope of payment by results is agreed locally between commissioners and providers. Under payment by results any cost implications of NICE guidance for the NHS are taken account of in two main ways:
	Through an adjustment within the national tariff uplift (dealing with pay and prices, pay reform and technical issues); and
	Through adjustments to specific national tariff prices where appropriate.
	Practice based commissioning (PBC) gives practices and primary care professionals the freedom to develop innovative, high-quality services for their patients. It enables them, working across boundaries with secondary care clinicians and others, to redesign services that better meet the needs of their patients. By giving practices the ability to develop new services for patients within a framework of accountability and support, PBC will improve access, extend patient choice and help restore financial balance.

Care Homes: Elderly

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what statutory obligations cover the care provided to residents in care homes for the elderly; how her Department enforces these obligations; and what statutory requirements are placed upon primary care trusts with regard to care homes for the elderly.

Ivan Lewis: The detailed regulation of the provision of care for older people in residential care homes is governed by the Care Standards Act 2000 and regulations made under it. The relevant statutory instruments which govern the regulation and inspection of care homes, as defined in that Act, are the National Care Standards Commission (Registration) Regulations 2001 (S.I. 2001/3969) and the Care Homes Regulations 2001 (S.I. 2001/3965). Primary care trusts may make arrangements for the placing of people in residential care homes which are regulated in this way but do not have specific statutory obligations themselves in relation to the regulation of such homes.
	In England, the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI), which is set up under the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003, regulates residential care homes through its powers of registration and inspection. Enforcement of the regulatory conditions is through criminal sanctions and mandatory inspection of homes by CSCI. In exercising its powers of inspection, CSCI must take into account the relevant national minimum standards issued under the 2000 Act, which apply across the country and are intended to ensure consistency in the quality of services. It is an offence for anyone who carries on or manages a care home, as defined in the 2000 Act, not to be registered.

Childbirth: Horton Hospital

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many women gave birth at  (a) Horton General Hospital and  (b) Warwick General Hospital in (i) 2005-06, (ii) 2004-05 and (iii) 2003-04; and how many expectant mothers received midwife assistance at home at each hospital in each year.

John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 25 June 2007:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your question about how many expectant mothers gave birth at (a) Horton General Hospital and (b) Warwick General Hospital in (i) 2005-06, (ii) 2004-05 and (iii) 2003-04; and how many expectant mothers received midwife assistance at home in each hospital in each year. (144085)
	Figures on maternities in hospitals are available from birth registration information. The latest available maternity figures from this source are for 2005. The table below shows the figures requested for the financial years 2003-04 and 2004-05. Since most births at Horton take place in Horton Maternity Hospital, figures for this unit have been included as well as those for Horton General Hospital.
	
		
			  Maternities in Horton General Hospital, Horton Maternity Hospital and Warwick Hospital in 2003-04 and 2004-05 
			  Number of maternities 
			   Financial years 
			   2003-04  2004-05 
			 Horton General Hospital 13 9 
			 Horton Maternity Hospital 1,501 1,528 
			 Warwick Hospital 2,534 2,713 
		
	
	No information is held centrally on midwife assistance at home for these hospitals.

Children: Abuse

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance has been issued by her Department on the covert monitoring of parents while on hospital premises for the detection and prevention of child abuse.

Ivan Lewis: The full guidance issued by the Department, "Safeguarding Children in Whom Illness is Fabricated or Induced", contains relevant guidance on covert monitoring of parents on hospital premises. Copies have been placed in the Library and are available at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4008714

Clacton Hospital

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 17 May 2007,  Official Report, column 912W, on Clacton hospital, for what reasons decisions on Peter Bruff Ward at Clacton hospital are being made by West Essex Primary Care Trust.

Andy Burnham: As stated in my answer of 17 May any decision regarding the closure of the Peter Bruff Ward at Clacton hospital is a matter for the local national health service, which has the responsibility for the configuration and delivery of local services, working in partnership with the communities it serves. NHS East of England has advised that a consultation on the proposed changes to mental health services in North Essex was launched on 7 June. The consultation, which will conclude on 7 September, includes proposals on the future of the Peter Bruff Ward at Clacton. I would urge the hon. Member to engage as fully as possible during the consultation to ensure that his views and those of his constituents are taken into consideration.

Community Health Services: West Suffolk

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to reply to the Suffolk County Council Health Scrutiny Committee referral of West Suffolk's community health proposals.

Andy Burnham: The Suffolk County Council Health Scrutiny Committee referral of West Suffolk's community health proposals is currently under consideration by the Secretary of State, and a response will follow in due course.

Dental Services: Hartlepool

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what basis the allocations of funding for children's orthodontic services for Hartlepool for 2006-07 and 2007-08 were made; if she will take action to improve children's orthodontic services in Hartlepool; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The resource allocations for primary dental care services awarded to primary care trusts (PCTs) for 2006-07 were based on expenditure on general dental services and personal dental services pilots in each PCT area during the reference period October 2004 to September 2005. This captured payments for both general dental services and specialist services such as orthodontic services. The allocations also included adjustments to reflect nationally agreed increases in dentists' remuneration, provision for growth plans previously submitted to and approved by the Department, and some margin to accommodate any new services that may have started during or after the reference period but could not be fully reflected in the calculation of reference period earnings.
	The resource allocations for 2007-08 included additional funding to allow for factors such as 2007-08 increases in dentists' remuneration and adjustments in the expected levels of patient charge income. Hartlepool PCT received a 7.1 per cent. increase in its 2007-08 dental funding allocation, net of income from patient charges.
	PCTs are responsible for developing dental services in their area to reflect local needs and priorities. Subject to honouring existing contracts, PCTs are free to vary the balance of resources committed to general dental services and to specialist services such as orthodontics. PCTs may also make additional investment in services from within their total national health service resources, if they consider this an appropriate local priority. The Department has provided a range of guidance and support to PCTs to support effective commissioning of orthodontic services and help promote access to high-quality services.

Departments: Aviation

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many flights to overseas destinations were taken by  (a) civil servants and  (b) Ministers in her Department in each of the last three calendar years; and what the total cost of such flights were.

Ivan Lewis: This information can be provided only at disproportionate cost. Since 1999, the Government have published on an annual basis a list of all overseas visits by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of £500, as well as the total cost of all ministerial travel overseas. Copies of the lists are available in the Library. Information for 2006-07 is currently being compiled and will be published before the summer recess. All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Civil Service Management Code, the Ministerial Code and "Travel by Ministers".

Departments: Consultants

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the outside  (a) agencies and  (b) consultancies which are undertaking work commissioned by her Department; and what the (i) purpose and (ii) cost is of each commission.

Andy Burnham: The Department does not collect information in the format requested.
	A new system will be introduced in April 2008 called SHOWA, which will be able to track consultant spend for the Department.

Departments: Contracts

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what data her Department collects on contracts awarded to external suppliers by public bodies it sponsors.

Andy Burnham: The Department does not regularly collect data on contracts awarded to external suppliers by sponsored public bodies. Performance targets for executive non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) sponsored by the Department, including outputs to be achieved, are agreed by Ministers and set out in the published business or corporate plan of the NDPB. Copies of plans are available from the relevant body. The Department monitors performance against these targets and progress is discussed with Ministers. The outputs and achievements of each executive NDPB are set out in its annual report, a copy of which is available in the Library.

Departments: Delivery Unit

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 4 June 2007,  Official Report, column 284W, on Departments: Delivery Unit, 
	(1)  what the conclusions were of the review of the overall NHS reform programme;
	(2)  what the findings were of the review of the overall NHS reform programme.

Andy Burnham: The findings and conclusions of NHS reform programme reports of the joint review by the Department of Health and the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit comprise confidential policy advice to the Prime Minister and Ministers, and are not published.

Departments: Delivery Unit

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 4 June 2007,  Official Report, column 284W, on Departments: Delivery Unit, what the  (a) start date and  (b) end date was of each review; and on which date a final report was produced for each.

Ivan Lewis: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Name of review  Start date  End date 
			 18 Weeks 13 June 2006 13 September 2006 
			 Choice of four providers 22 September 2006 2 November 2006 
			 Practice-based commissioning 27 November 2006 26 February 2007 
			 Overall NHS reform programme 19 February 2007 22 March 2007 
			 Childhood obesity February 2006 3 November 2006 
			 Child and adolescent mental health services September 2006 3 November 2006 
			 Primary care trust capability 5 March 2007 16 May 2007 
		
	
	The date of final reports produced are the same as the end dates.

Departments: Delivery Unit

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 4 June 2007,  Official Report, column 284W, on Departments: Delivery Unit, if she will place in the Library copies of the terms of reference for the reviews of  (a) 18 weeks,  (b) the overall NHS reform programme,  (c) childhood obesity and  (d) primary care trust capability.

Andy Burnham: The reports of joint reviews by the Department and the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit comprise confidential policy advice to the Prime Minister and Ministers, and are not published.

Departments: Energy

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many energy saving light bulbs were purchased by her Department for use on the departmental estate in  (a) 2005 and  (b) 2006.

Ivan Lewis: The information is as follows.
	
		
			   Number 
			 2005 27,000 
			 2006 28,000

Departments: Foreign Relations

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many Memorandums of Understanding are in force as a result of agreements with foreign Governments entered into by Ministers in her Department; and what executive actions each entails.

Rosie Winterton: The Department has entered into numerous Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) with a large number of countries over the years. The purpose and content of these agreements varies considerably, as does the amount of activity taking place under them. For this reason, we are currently evaluating the impact and effectiveness of our memorandums. This will inform a more strategic approach in line with the Global Health Strategy, which the Government are currently developing.
	The following table details our principal bilateral agreements. However, we also have several separate reciprocal health care agreements with other countries on access to treatment abroad. This information is available on www.dh.gov.uk/travellers
	
		
			  Department of Health principal bilateral agreements 
			  Country  Type of agreement  Date of expiry  Area covered 
			 Belgium Framework Both countries to review annually Co-operation on health care 
			 Brazil MOU 2011 Collaboration and exchange of expertise 
			 Bulgaria Plan of Co-operation 2009 Co-operation on health care 
			 China MOU 2010 Co-operation on health care 
			 China Letter of Intent 2007 Co-operation on ethical recruitment 
			 Egypt MOU Ongoing Co-operation on health care 
			 France Joint Statement of Intent Ongoing Co-operation on health care 
			 Hong Kong MOU 2009 Co-operation on mutual interests 
			 Libya Letter of Intent 2008 Co-operation on primary care and management issues 
			 Mexico MOU 2007 Co-operation on health care 
			 Shanghai MOU 2007 Co-operation on hospital development 
			 South Africa MOU 2008 Exchange of educational concepts and personnel 
			 USA Joint Statement Ongoing Quality of care 
			 USA Joint Statement Ongoing Health consequences of terrorism

Departments: Home Working

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in her Department have been allowed to work from home for part of the week in the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement on her Department's policy on home working.

Ivan Lewis: The Departments human resource information system currently records four staff as members of its home-working scheme. The Department also allows staff to work at home on an occasional basis at management discretion. No data are kept on these ad hoc arrangements that enable staff to enjoy a more flexible, family-friendly working arrangement.
	Our policy is in line with approaches commonly adopted across the civil service and reflects good practice followed by organisations more widely.

Departments: Manpower

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people granted  (a) temporary part-time,  (b) temporary full-time,  (c) permanent part-time and  (d) permanent full-time contracts of employment in her Department in each of the last three years were (i) male, (ii) female, (iii) registered disabled and (iv) aged 55 years or over.

Ivan Lewis: The information requested is shown in the following tables.
	
		
			  Entrants by gender 
			   2006-07  2005-06  2004-05 
			  Category  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female  Male 
			 Full-time permanent 46 45 120 87 28 21 
			 Full-time temporary 20 10 29 26 50 26 
			 Part-time permanent — 1 9 — 9 2 
			 Part-time temporary 1 — 2 1 2 2 
			 Total 67 56 160 114 89 51 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of entrants voluntary declaring a disability 
			  Category  2006-07  2005-06  2004-05 
			 Full-time permanent 1 11 2 
			 Full-time temporary 0 0 4 
			 Part-time permanent 0 0 0 
			 Part-time temporary 0 0 0 
			 Total 1 11 6 
		
	
	
		
			  Entrants aged 55 or over 
			  Category  2006-07  2005-06  2004-05 
			 Full-time permanent 1 12 1 
			 Full-time temporary 0 2 1 
			 Part-time permanent 0 0 3 
			 Part-time temporary 0 0 0 
			 Total 1 14 5

Departments: Manpower

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of staff in her Department are  (a) male,  (b) female,  (c) registered disabled and (d) aged 55 or over.

Ivan Lewis: As at the end of March 2007, the Department's records show that 46.6 per cent. of staff are male, 53.4 per cent. of staff are female, 5.8 per cent. have made a declaration as registered disabled and 11.5 per cent. are aged 55 and over.

Departments: Marketing

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which advertising and marketing campaigns were run by  (a) her Department and  (b) its agencies in each of the last five years; which external agencies were involved; and what the cost was of each campaign.

Ivan Lewis: The following tables outline advertising campaigns undertaken by the Department, the cost of each and the external advertising agencies involved, in the last five years.
	
		
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			  Campaign  Ad vertising spend (£  million )  Agency  Ad vertising  spend (£  million )  Agency  Ad vertising  spend   (£  million )  Agency 
			 Antibiotics 0.44 n/a 0.42 n/a — — 
			 Drugs (joint with HO) 1.52 Mother 1.50 Mother 1.99 Mother 
			 Flu 2.00 Euro RSCG 1.60 Euro RSCG 1.50 Euro RSCG 
			 Hepatitis C — — — — — — 
			 Immunisation 1.00 DDB 2.00 DDB 2.00 DDB 
			 National health service including nurse recruitment 4.23 Leo Burnett 4.90 Leo Burnett 5.84 Leo Burnett 
			 NHS Direct 0.58 Euro RSG 0.75 Euro RSG — — 
			 Organ donation 0.22 n/a — — — — 
			 Prescription fraud 0.30 n/a — — — — 
			 Sexwise/teenage pregnancy 160 DLKW 2.00 DKLW — — 
			 Sexual health 1.50 DLKW 1.50 DLKW 1.27 DLKW 
			 Social care/worker recruitment 1.24 Leo Burnett 4.62 Leo Burnett 2.14 Leo Burnett 
			 Smoking 7.87 AMV 17.34 AMV 24.00 AWV 
			 Walk-in centres — — — — 0.20 Euro RSCG 
			 Writer (Get the right treatment) 0.25 Euro RSCG 1.75 Euro RSCG 0.59 Euro RSCG 
			 Promoting new NHS services (Caring in many ways) — — — — 0.85 Euro RSCG 
			 E111 — — — — 0.32 CST 
		
	
	
		
			   2005-06  2006 - 07 
			  Campaign  Ad vertising  spend (£  million )  Agency  Ad vertising  spend (£  million )  Agency 
			 Antibiotics 0.39 n/a — — 
			 Drugs (joint with HO) 1.26 Mother — Mother 
			 Flu 1.85 Euro RSCG 1.10 Euro RSCG 
			 Hepatitis C — — 0.52 CST 
			 Immunisation 0.35 DDB 1.60 DDB 
			 National health service including nurse recruitment 0.02 Leo Burnett — — 
			 NHS Direct — — — — 
			 Organ donation — — — — 
			 Prescription fraud — — — — 
			 Sexwise/teenage pregnancy — — — — 
			 Sexual health   2.66 DLKW 
			 Social care/worker recruitment 2.44 Leo Burnett 2.29 LOWE 
			 Smoking 22.70 AMV 12.47 MCBD/Farm 
			 Walk-in centres — Euro RSCG — — 
			 Writer (Get the right treatment) 0.59 Euro RSCG — — 
			 Promoting new NHS services (Caring in many ways) — — — — 
			 E111 1.37 CST — —

Departments: Pay

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff in her Department received bonus payments in 2006-07; what proportion of the total workforce they represented; what the total amount of bonuses paid was; what the largest single payment was; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: 420 staff in the Department received bonus payments in 2006-07. They represented 19 per cent. of the total workforce. The total amount of bonuses paid was £1,400,049. The largest single payment was £22,500.
	A significant proportion of bonuses paid were to staff who are senior civil servants, where the Department's policy is determined by the Cabinet Office guidance on civil service bonuses.

Departments: Political Parties

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which  (a) executives,  (b) non-executives and  (c) officials in her Department's arm's length bodies have declared political affiliations to (i) the Labour Party, (ii) the Conservative Party, (iii) the Liberal Democrat Party and (iv) other political parties; and whether declaration of political affiliation forms part of the application process for such posts.

Ivan Lewis: The Department does not hold information centrally on the political affiliations of its arm's length body executives, non-executives and officials and it would be disproportionately expensive to gather this information.
	The application process for a post within the Department's arm's length bodies does not require applicants to make a declaration about their political affiliations.

Departments: Political Parties

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which  (a) executives,  (b) non-executives and  (c) officials in her Department's arm's length bodies have previously worked for (i) the Labour Party, (ii) the Conservative Party, (iii) the Liberal Democrat Party, (iv) other political parties and (v) trades unions.

Ivan Lewis: The Department does not hold such information centrally and it would be disproportionately expensive to gather the information.

Departments: Private Finance Initiative

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the value is of the unitary payments of each private finance initiative scheme overseen by her Department over the lifetime of the contract, expressed in 2007-08 prices and discounted to present value.

Andy Burnham: A full list of unitary payments to 2033-34 can be found on the HM Treasury website at:
	www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/documents/public_partnerships/ppp_pfi_stats.cfm
	The figures in the table are expressed in nominal terms, that is, the Department has applied a deflator (retail price index (RPI)—the one normally used in contracts) to the baseline figure submitted to it by the trust or primary care trust concerned. Figures will therefore vary as a result of changes to RPI.
	Unitary payments may also fluctuate both up and down as a result of adjustments made relating to the performance of the contractor, additional services requested by the trust and the effect of refinancing.

Departments: Public Participation

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many public consultations her Department undertook in the last 12 months; and what the cost was of each consultation.

Ivan Lewis: Over the 12 months to the end of May 2007, the Department launched 43 formal public consultations in order to inform the Department's policy development.
	The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency launched 16 public consultations in the same period.
	The NHS Purchasing Supply Agency did not launch any public consultations in the same period.
	Information on the cost of each consultation and the total cost of all consultations could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Public Participation

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what her Department's overall expenditure was on public consultations in 2006-07.

Ivan Lewis: The Department does not hold information centrally about costs of public consultations. Information on the Department's overall expenditure on public consultations could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Remploy

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what  (a) services and  (b) products her Department has procured from Remploy in the last 12 months; and at what cost.

Ivan Lewis: The Department's finance system, Vista, shows one purchase order has been raised for Remploy in the last 12 months. The products procured were a quadrant corner unit and filing cabinet at a total cost of £3,400.31. No services were procured from Remploy.

Departments: Sick Leave

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what average number of days per year was taken by staff in her Department as sick leave in each of the last five years for which records are available.

Ivan Lewis: The information requested is available in a series of annual reports entitled "Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service", published by the Cabinet Office and is available on their website at:
	www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/occupational_health/publications/index.asp
	The latest available information is for 2005-06. The report for 2006-07 will be published in September 2007.

Dietary Supplements: EC law

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps officials based in British embassies to other European Union member states are taking to ensure that the Government's objectives for the interpretation and implementation of the Food Supplements Directive are met;
	(2)  what steps the staff of the UK permanent representative in Brussels are taking to ensure that the Government's stated objectives for the interpretation and implementation of the Food Supplements Directive are met;
	(3)  what recent representations she has received from consumers on the interpretation and implementation of the Food Supplements Directive; and what steps she plans to take to ensure her objectives for the interpretation and implementation of the Directive are met;
	(4)  what meetings have been held by  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials of her Department and associated agencies with (i) representatives of the European Commission, (ii) Governments of other member states and (iii) officials of other member states on the Food Supplements Directive (vitamins and minerals); what the date was of each meeting; what points were raised at each; and what conclusions reached;
	(5)  when she last met Commissioner Markos Kyprianou to discuss the impact on consumer choice and the specialist manufacturing and retail sector of the implementation of the Food Supplements Directive and the setting of maximum permitted levels for vitamins and minerals in supplements under article 5 of that Directive; what the outcome was of that meeting; and when next she plans to meet the Commissioner further to discuss these issues.

Caroline Flint: Bilateral meetings of Health Ministers were held with Germany, Lithuania and Portugal in November 2006. Bilateral meetings of officials were held with Netherlands, Ireland, Finland, Germany, France and Italy in 2006. Additional meetings were held with the Netherlands in November 2006 and with German officials in March 2007. Officials have regular contact with the Commission and most recently met with Commission officials in November 2006.
	The meetings were held to highlight the United Kingdom's (UK) position on supplements and discuss the outcome of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) Board discussions on setting maximum levels of vitamins and minerals. Member states were receptive to the ideas presented by the FSA but had not developed their own definitive positions in the absence of proposals from the Commission. The Commission welcomed the UK Government's response to the discussion document published in June 2006 on issues for setting levels of vitamins and minerals in foodstuffs and commented that previous work taken forward by the UK in 2003 on establishing safe upper levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements will be a key factor in developing future proposals. Ministers of other member states have not been engaged on the issue of setting maximum levels of vitamins and minerals in food supplements to date, but were receptive to the UK's views and wished to learn more about the UK's position.
	A meeting has not been held with Commissioner Markos Kyprianou to discuss the impact on consumer choice and the specialist manufacturing and retail sector of the implementation of the food supplements directive and the setting of maximum permitted levels for vitamins and minerals in supplements under article 5 of that Directive. A future meeting has not been planned.
	Representations have been received from consumers on the interpretation and implementation of the food supplements directive, highlighting their concerns regarding the possibility that the Commission intends to propose restrictive daily dose levels for vitamin and mineral supplements and the potential consequent loss of consumer choice. The UK's key objective is for levels to be set based on a risk assessment, and for any controls to ensure safety for consumers and allow them to make informed choices. FSA officials will continue dialogue between the Commission and member states on this issue.
	Officials based in British embassies to other European Union member states have not indicated that they are taking action regarding promotion of the Government's objectives for the interpretation and implementation of the food supplements directive.
	Staff of the UK permanent representative in Brussels have been briefed on the Government's stated objectives for the interpretation and implementation of the food supplements directive and are speaking to the Commission directly.

Drugs: Misuse

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the number of people with an addiction to an illegal drug in each London borough in each year since 1997.

Caroline Flint: The Department has not published estimates on the number of people with an addiction to an illegal drug in London.
	The National Treatment Agency's national drug treatment monitoring system collects data on the numbers of clients in treatment for addiction to all illegal drugs. London data from 2003-04 are shown in the following table. Local level data are not available prior to 2003-04.
	
		
			  Number in treatment in London 2003-06 
			  DAT  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Barking and Dagenham 475 571 705 
			 Barnet 347 562 765 
			 Bexley 304 345 364 
			 Brent 730 844 995 
			 Bromley 495 657 715 
			 Camden 2,281 1,834 1,945 
			 City of London 26 20 35 
			 Croydon 849 954 1,098 
			 Ealing 539 1,203 1,599 
			 Enfield 454 608 650 
			 Greenwich 769 782 875 
			 Hackney 821 1,180 1,076 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 915 1,079 1,508 
			 Haringey 807 1,022 1,182 
			 Harrow 448 757 823 
			 Havering 359 482 461 
			 Hillingdon 324 504 600 
			 Hounslow 492 857 1,201 
			 Islington 1,313 1,495 1,540 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 903 1,150 1,205 
			 Kingston upon Thames 234 424 446 
			 Lambeth 1,362 1,527 1,997 
			 Lewisham 970 1,063 1,261 
			 Merton 231 728 762 
			 Newham 687 859 1,051 
			 Redbridge 597 651 806 
			 Richmond upon Thames 413 647 779 
			 Southwark 1,143 1,503 1,876 
			 Sutton 394 564 726 
			 Tower Hamlets 636 1,204 1,489 
			 Waltham Forest 301 626 896 
			 Wandsworth 726 945 1,169 
			 Westminster 1,190 1,392 1,613 
			 Total 22,535 29,039 34,213

Electromagnetic Fields: Health Hazards

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what advice the Government have sought from the Health Protection Agency in relation to the Stakeholder Advisory Group on extremely low frequency electric and magnetic fields (EMFs) report; and how the Government's decision-making process on precautionary measures to prevent public exposure to EMFs will take account of this report;
	(2)  if she will place in the Library a copy of the recent report from the Stakeholder Advisory Group on extremely low frequency electric and magnetic fields;
	(3)  what account she takes of public opinion in determining suitable precautionary measures on power frequency electric and magnetic fields (EMFs); and what mechanism she plans to put in place to assess public opinion on the issues raised by the recently published Stakeholder Advisory Group on Extremely Low Frequency Electric and Magnetic Fields report on precautionary approaches to power frequency EMFs; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The recently published report from the Stakeholder Advisory Group on extremely low frequency (ELF) electric and magnetic fields (EMF), known as the SAGE report, is currently under consideration by the Health Protection Agency (HPA). Government have asked HPA for advice concerning the report's recommendations. Government will consider the HPA's advice and, should any further measures be considered as part of a precautionary approach, would consult stakeholders as part of the process. A copy of the SAGE report has been placed in the Library.

First Aid: Emergency Calls

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many first responders were available for call outs within  (a) Cirencester and  (b) the Cotswolds in each of the last five years; how many are currently available; and how many she expects to be available by the end of 2007;
	(2)  how many ambulances were available for call outs at peak times in  (a) Cirencester and  (b) the Cotswolds in each of the last five years; how many are currently available; and how many she expects to be available by the end of 2007.

Andy Burnham: The information requested is not collected centrally.

General Practitioners

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 7 June 2007,  Official Report, column 652W, on general practitioners, what remit her Department was given by HM Treasury for the negotiation of the contract following the discussions;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 4 June 2007,  Official Report, column 288W, on doctors: contracts, which  (a) Treasury and  (b) Department of Health Ministers participated in the discussions;
	(3)  whether the discussions referred to included consideration of  (a) the GP contract and  (b) the consultant contract in the form in which these contracts were finally agreed;
	(4)  whether her Department gained HM Treasury approval for general practitioners no longer being obliged to provide out-of-hours care during the discussions.

Andy Burnham: Treasury Ministers and officials have frequent discussions with their counterparts at the Department as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with the previous Administration, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such discussions.

General Practitioners

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Rayleigh (Mr. Francois) of 6 June 2007,  Official Report, column 571W, on general practitioners, 
	(1)  what internal mechanism her Department established for considering and informing progress on the contract negotiations;
	(2)  whether there was a start date for the discussions keeping the general medical services contract under constant review; and what the Government's objective is in these discussions;
	(3)  at what level discussions between HM Treasury and her Department take place;
	(4)  whether representatives from other  (a) NHS and  (b) Government bodies or departments were present at the regular update meetings held between the NHS Confederation and her Department.

Andy Burnham: It is normal practice to keep all policy initiatives under review. As with all major initiatives the Department's aim is to improve existing arrangements.
	Revisions of the general medical services contract have always sought to secure additional benefits to patients and taxpayers.
	As part of the regular process of this review, discussions between Her Majesty's Treasury and the Department have and continue to take place at both official and ministerial level as appropriate.
	Our regular discussions with NHS Confederation, now NHS Employers, include representatives from the four health departments and any executive agencies as needed, e.g. Officials from the Information Centre.

Health Professions: Training

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many applications have been received for ST1-4 medical positions by the Medical Training Application Service in the last 12 months; and how many posts were available.

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total number of specialist training places for 2007 intake is, broken down by  (a) deanery and  (b) level of specialist training.

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many applicants are in the process of applying for posts via Modernising Medical Careers; how many posts are available; and how many such posts in the 2007 round are for  (a) specialist training and  (b) fixed-term specialist training appointments;
	(2)  how many applicants there were from round 1 of Modernising Medical Careers; and how many posts are available.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is shown in the following tables and is correct as taken from a survey of English deaneries on the 14 June. However, the numbers will change regularly as additional posts are confirmed during the 2007 recruitment process.
	The number of posts available for the 2007 recruitment process is in the following table.
	
		
			   Posts on MTAS 19 April  
			   Run-through  FTSTA  Academic  Total  Round 1 posts not on MTAS added after 19 April( 1)  Estimated GP posts filled outside MTAS  New run-through programmes in round 2  Estimated new FTSTAs and GP posts in round 2( 1)  Overall total of training posts in 2007( 2) 
			 UK 14,595 4,392 185 19,172 108 3,450 215 302 23,247 
			 England 11,916 3,485 182 15,583 108 2,828 215 302 19,036 
			 (1) Taken from a survey of English deaneries on 14 June. Figure only includes the posts in England and not those in the devolved Administrations because the survey only covered English deaneries. We expect there to be additional new posts in the devolved Administrations. (2) As set out in footnote 1, the UK total does not include the new round 2 posts in the devolved Administrations. 
		
	
	Across the UK, 34,389 candidates submitted applications on MTAS during the first recruitment round and made 127,948 applications. Of these, 32,600(4) applicants made at least one eligible application and a total of 118,600(3) eligible applications are recorded on the MTAS system. Of the eligible applicants, 29,600(3) were already working in training or non-training posts in the NHS.
	The number of posts broken down by deanery is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Numbers updated by English Deanery Survey 14 June 
			   Round 1 posts (including those added after 19 April)  Additional round 2 run-through programmes  Estimated new posts in round 2 (including FTSTAs held back)  Overall total 
			 Eastern 1,178 15 0 1,193 
			 England and Wales Histopathology 64 — — 64 
			 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland(4) 432 — 64 496 
			 London/KSS 4,589 25 125 4,739 
			 Mersey 794 37 0 831 
			 North Western 1,400 17 5 1,422 
			 Northern 976 14 10 1,000 
			 Oxford 628 1 15 644 
			 Severn 665 11 1 677 
			 South Yorkshire and South Humber 529 13 0 542 
			 Southwest Peninsula 489 12 9 510 
			 Trent(4) 586 15 0 601 
			 Wessex 627 12 17 656 
			 West Midlands 1,679 32 34 1,745 
			 Yorkshire 1,055 11 22 1,088 
			 Total England 15,691 215 302 16,208 
			 Defence Medical Services(5) 30 — — 30 
			 Scotland(5) 2,004 — — 2,004 
			 Northern Ireland(5) 525 — — 525 
			 Wales(5) 1,030 — — 1,030 
			 Total UK 19,280 — — 19,797 
			 UK GP posts filled outside MTAs — — — 3,450 
			 Overall Total — — — 23,247 
			 (3) This figure is an estimate derived by inference from the data provided by applicants on the MTAS system. (4) Trent and the Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland deaneries have since combined into a single East Midlands deanery. The additional round 2 run-through programmes for East Midlands have been entered in the Trent UoA row. (5) We do not have any additional information to that on MTAS 19 April. We expect there to be additional new posts in the devolved Administrations. 
		
	
	Number of posts by level as at 19 April on MTAS is shown in the following table (not including GP posts filled outside MTAS, extra round 1 posts added since 19 April, or extra round 2 posts as these cannot be broken down by level).
	
		
			  Level  Type  UK  England 
			 ST1 Total 7,687 6,346 
			  Run-Through 6,058 4,989 
			  FTSTA 1,529 1,258 
			  Academic 100 99 
			 
			 ST2 Total 6,563 5,241 
			  Run-Through 4,106 3,354 
			  FTSTA 2,442 1,872 
			  Academic 15 15 
			 
			 ST3 Total 4,153 3,343 
			  Run-Through 3,673 2,931 
			  FTSTA 417 351 
			  Academic 63 61 
			 
			 ST4 Total 769 653 
			  Run-Through 758 642 
			  FTSTA 4 4 
			  Academic 7 7 
			 Total  19,172 15,583 
			  Note: England figures exclude the devolved Administration deaneries and Defence Medical Services.

Health Professions: Training

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate her Department has made of the number of round 2 interviews that will take place via the Medical Training Application Service recruitment process; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The online Medical Training Application Service is not being used for the round 2 recruitment process. This further recruitment round is being run locally by deaneries.

Health Professions: Training

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate her Department has made of the number of round 1  (a) offers made and  (b) interviews held through the Medical Training Application Service to date; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The number of offers made is not collected centrally. The number of interviews held in round 1 was approximately 40,800 in the United Kingdom and 32,200 in England. England guaranteed interviews for all first choice applications (other than those for general practice) after repreferencing. The Devolved Administrations offered interviews for all four applications. As a result approximately a further 23,400 interviews were held in the UK; 16,300 in England.

Health Services: Immigrants

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures are in place to prevent the NHS treating illegal immigrants and failed asylum seekers in circumstances where they have no entitlement to such treatment.

Rosie Winterton: People who are living lawfully in the United Kingdom for a settled purpose, are entitled to register with a general practice. Regulations do allow practices discretion over whom they register and if the practice list is not closed to new applications the practice must have reasonable and non-discriminatory grounds for refusing an application. Being an illegal immigrant or failed asylum seeker would be such grounds.
	For hospital treatment, anyone who is not ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom, including illegal immigrants and failed asylum seekers, is subject to the provisions of the National Health Service (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 1989, as amended. These regulations require national health service bodies providing hospital services to establish whether a patient is ordinarily resident and, if not, whether they are covered by any of the exemptions in the regulations. If the patient is not exempt, they should be charged for any NHS hospital services provided.

Health Services: Procurement

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of which companies  (a) have direct experience of managing a healthcare commissioning budget in the UK or internationally of at least £300,000,000 and  (b) have supported commissioning for populations over 90,000.

Andy Burnham: To support the local national health service in undertaking commissioning functions, the Department has recently assessed organisations against a number of criteria through the development of the framework for procuring external support for commissioners (FESC). The procurement of the FESC has been conducted in compliance with European Union law.
	Organisations involved in the FESC procurement have, along with a range of other criteria, been assessed against their track-record of supporting commissioning for populations over 90,000 rather than against experience of managing a healthcare commissioning budget.

Herbal Medicine: EC Law

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will require the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency to discuss the identification of products made from organic ingredients with representatives of the manufacturers of herbal remedies marketed under the Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: Following discussions in 2006 the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency met representatives of the Herbal Forum (a group representing manufacturers' trade associations in the herbal sector) and the Soil Association on 14 June 2007 to discuss the development of organic standards which are appropriate to the production of herbal medicinal products, and how products meeting those standards can be identified. We understand that the Herbal Forum intends to bring forward proposals and we will give them careful consideration.

Home Care Services

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons domiciliary consultations by consultants with general practitioners were discontinued by the NHS.

Andy Burnham: There is nothing to stop domiciliary consultations by consultants with general practitioners in principle. However, these should normally be scheduled as part of the programmed activities that make up the consultant's job plan. Alternatively, a consultant may retain any fee that is paid for domiciliary consultations undertaken in the consultant's own time.

Hospitals: Finance

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the projected financial position is of  (a) Sussex County Hospital, Brighton,  (b) Worthing and Southlands Hospital,  (c) Princess Royal, Haywards Heath and  (d) St. Richards Hospital, Chichester for the end of the financial year 2007-08; and what the financial position of each was at the end of the last financial year.

Caroline Flint: The information requested is collected by national health service trusts, and not by hospitals.
	The quarter 4, 2006-07 provisional outturn surplus/(deficit) and 2007-08 provisional plan year end forecast outturn surplus/(deficit) for Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust, the Royal West Sussex NHS Trust and the Worthing and Southlands Hospitals NHS Trust are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  £ million 
			  NHS Trust  2006- 0 7 quarter 4 provisional outturn surplus/(deficit)  2007-08 provisional plan year end forecast outturn surplus/(deficit) data 
			 Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS trust (5.3) (4.5) 
			 Worthing and Southlands hospitals NHS trust (6) 0 
			 The Royal West Sussex NHS trust 1.5 0.67 
			  Source: Quarter 4 2006-07 Department of Health financial monitoring returns Financial plans for 2007-08 are subject to final validation and sign-off with the NHS.

Hospitals: Finance

Derek Conway: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much each NHS primary care trust allocated to each district general hospital within its boundaries in each of the last three years; what proportion of each trust's budget that represented in each year; and what the projected figures are for 2007-08.

Andy Burnham: Revenue allocations are made directly to primary care trusts (PCTs), not national health service trusts or individual hospitals. We do not collect centrally, information on funding flows between PCTs and NHS trusts.

Hospitals: Greater London

Derek Conway: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the occupation costs were for each of the six hospital trust sites in South East London in each of the last three years.

Ivan Lewis: The information in the following table is as provided by the organisation concerned and has not been amended.
	
		
			  Trust name  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Bexley Care Trust 1,627,616 1,559,498 1,869,264 
			 South London and Maudsley NHS Trust 18,196,822 14,903,664 22,948,322 
			 Oxleas NHS Trust 9,916,562 9,681,675 12,218,574 
			 King's College Hospital NHS Trust 19,092,305 23,658,087 26,079,201 
			 Guy's and St. Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust 51,474,820 13,434,702 Not available 
			 The Lewisham Hospital NHS Trust 10,509,038 11,517,772 12,823,300 
			 Queen Mary's Sidcup NHS Trust 7,274,001 8,443,453 10,464,410 
			 Queen Elizabeth Hospital NHS Trust 6,668,227 6,362,439 18,869,437 
			 Bromley Hospitals NHS Trust 10,080,618 11,621,044 13,775,016 
		
	
	The data represent the occupancy costs (capital charges, rent, rates, maintenance, energy and utility) for the trusts in the South East London Strategic Health Authority for the last three years they were collected.

Hospitals: Infectious Diseases

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many incidents of hospital acquired infections have been reported at  (a) Sussex County Hospital, Brighton,  (b) Worthing Hospital and  (c) St Richard's Hospital, Chichester in each of the last five years.

Ivan Lewis: The information requested is not available. The best available information is from the mandatory surveillance system, which provides the data for acute national health service trusts in England rather than individual hospitals on the following:
	the number of reports of methicillin resistant  Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) blood stream infections (bacteraemias) from April 2001 to 31 December 2006 (table 1);
	the number of reports of  Clostridium difficile for patients aged 65 and over from January 2004 to December 2006 (table 2);
	the number of glycopeptide resistant enterococci (GRE) blood stream infections from 1 October 2003 to 30 September 2005 (table 3); and
	the number of surgical site infections (SSI) reported as part of the mandatory surveillance of SSI following orthopaedic surgery between April 2004 and March 2006 (table 4).
	The Sussex county hospital, Brighton, is part of Brighton and Sussex university hospitals NHS trust; St. Richard's hospital, Chichester, is part of Royal West Sussex NHS trust and Worthing hospital is part of Worthing and Southlands NHS trust. The mandatory surveillance data for these NHS Trusts are shown in the following tables:
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of reported blood stream infections (bacteraemia) from April 2001 to December 2006 
			   April to March  
			  Trust  2001-02  2002 - 03  2003 - 04  2004- 05  2005 - 06  April 2006 to December 2006 
			 Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust 86 74 107 129 141 80 
			 Royal West Sussex NHS Trust 34 25 23 27 27 19 
			 Worthing and Southlands NHS Trust 21 15 22 34 46 39 
			  Source: Health Protection Agency. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Annual counts of Clostridium difficile from January 2004 to December 2006 
			  January to December 
			  Trust  2004  2005  2006 
			 Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust 368 472 588 
			 Royal West Sussex NHS Trust 270 261 395 
			 Worthing and Southlands NHS Trust 135 195 298 
			  Source: Health Protection Agency. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Glycopeptide resistant enterococci (GRE) blood stream infections from 1 October 2003 to 30 September 2005 
			   1 October to 30 September 
			  Trust  2003-04  2004 - 05 
			 Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust 5 2 
			 Royal West Sussex NHS Trust 0 1 
			 Worthing and Southlands Hospitals NHS Trust 0 1 
			  Source: Health Protection Agency. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 4: Surgical site infections from April 2004 to March 2006 
			Number of surgical site infections/number procedures included in surveillance 
			  Trust  Surgical procedure  April 2004 to March 2005  April 2005 to March 2006 
			 Brighton and Sussex NHS Trust Total hip prothesis (1)1/223 (2)4/132 
			  Knee prothesis (1)2/207 (2)3/147 
			  Hip hemiarthroplasty (2)1/121 (2)3/147 
			 
			 Royal West Sussex NHS Trust Total hip prothesis (3)0/141 (3)6/273 
			  Knee prothesis (3)1/136 — 
			  Hip hemiarthroplasty (3)0/45 (3)1/103 
			 
			 Worthing and Southlands NHS Trust Total hip prothesis (4)4/70 — 
			  Knee prothesis — (4)1/70 
			  Hip hemiarthroplasty (4)4/57 — 
			 (1) 9 months data.  (2) 6 months data. (3) 12 months data. (4) 4 months data.  Notes: 1. Trusts can participate in surveillance for part or all of the year. 2. Differences in reported rates of SSI between these trusts are not statistically significant.  Source: Health Protection Agency.

Hospitals: North Yorkshire

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on hospital ward closures in North Yorkshire.

Ivan Lewis: The service modernisation and financial recovery plan of the North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust (PCT) aims to invest £9 million in developing community-based services. This will enable patients to access care in their own home where clinically appropriate, which will reduce unnecessary admissions to local acute hospitals, supporting the PCT in its return to financial health.
	The development of community-based services and efficiency gains have resulted in changes in bed capacity in the York Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Hospitals: Parking

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance her Department provides to hospitals on provision of parking permits to community nurses.

Andy Burnham: Arrangements and charges for car parking on health care premises are a matter for individual national health service bodies, taking account of all the relevant local factors. This includes what, if any, concessions, exemptions or permits to offer staff.
	NHS bodies have income generation powers which allow them to raise additional income by marketing any spare capacity resulting from a non-core function, or by exploiting intellectual property rights. Certain rules must be followed, including the fact that profits raised must be used to improve health services. Charging for car parking is a common example of an income generation scheme.
	The Department issued revised and updated guidance on car parking schemes to the NHS in December 2006. This guidance includes recommendations that any scheme should take into consideration the needs of staff, including whether to provide subsidised or free parking for particular categories of staff.

Hospitals: Waiting Lists

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps her Department plans to take to  (a) support and  (b) penalise those health trusts which fail to meet the 18 week waiting time target by the target date in December 2008; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: Specific arrangements for 2008-09 will be set out later in 2007. Currently, primary care trusts and strategic health authorities are responsible for ensuring that the 18 week target is met. The Department is also currently providing intensive support to the most challenged local health communities to deliver the 18 week target.

Hospitals: Waiting Lists

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many patients in London waited for  (a) 13 weeks,  (b) 14 weeks,  (c) 15 weeks,  (d) 16 weeks and  (e) 17 weeks and over for a first out-patient admission in each quarter since June 2005 in each primary care trust;
	(2)  how many patients in London waited for  (a) 20 weeks,  (b) 21 weeks,  (c) 22 weeks,  (d) 23 weeks and  (e) 24 weeks and over from in-patient diagnosis to treatment in each quarter since June 2005 in each primary care trust.

Andy Burnham: The available information has been placed in the Library.

Hospitals: West Sussex

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she first saw the proposed consultation document produced by West Sussex Primary Care Trust on reconfiguration of hospital services.

Caroline Flint: The Secretary of State has not seen this consultation document and does not routinely ask for consultation documents, which are published as a matter of course as part of the consultation process. Proposals for reconfiguration and the management of consultations are a matter for the national health service locally.

Human Tissue Authority

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the formation of the new Human Tissue Authority.

Rosie Winterton: The Human Tissue Authority was established in April 2005 under the Human Tissue Act 2004. Its role is to regulate the removal, storage, use and disposal of human bodies, organs and tissue for a number of purposes set out in Schedule 1 to the Act, such as research, transplantation, education and training.
	Further information on the authority can be found on its website at www.hta.gov.uk.

Injuries: Offensive Weapons

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many knife wound injuries were treated in hospitals in West Lancashire in each year since 1997.

Andy Burnham: The information is not available in the requested format. The following tables show figures for admissions classified as contact with knife, sword or dagger. These figures do not include any patients who were treated for knife wounds in accident and emergency departments but were not admitted, or patients who were treated in an out-patient setting. Values between one and five are not included due to reasons of confidentiality.
	
		
			   Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust  Southport and Formby NHS Trust  West Lancashire NHS Trust 
			 2005-06 * n/a n/a 
			 2004-05 * n/a n/a 
			 2003-04 6 n/a n/a 
			 2002-03 * n/a n/a 
			 2001-02 6 n/a n/a 
			 2000-01 * n/a n/a 
			 1999-2000 8 n/a n/a 
			 1998-99 n/a * * 
			 1997-98 n/a * * 
			  Notes: RVY Southport and Ormskirk Hospital national health service Trust was formed in 1999-2000 from REQ Southport and Formby NHS Trust and part of RJV West Lancashire NHS Trust. As this was not a simple merger figures prior to 1999-2000 are shown for information only and should not be compared to the figures for 1999-2000 to 2005-06. 
		
	
	
		
			   Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre Hospitals NHS Trust  Blackpool Victoria Hospital NHS Trust  Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde Community Health Services NHS Trust 
			 2005-06 * n/a n/a 
			 2004-05 9 n/a n/a 
			 2003-04 * n/a n/a 
			 2002-03 * n/a n/a 
			 2001-02 n/a * 0 
			 2000-01 n/a 6 0 
			 1999-2000 n/a * 0 
			 1998-99 n/a 10 0 
			 1997-98 n/a * 0 
			  Notes: RXL Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre Hospitals NHS Trust was formed in 2002-03 from RMR Blackpool Victoria Hospital NHS Trust and part of RML Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde Community Health Services NHS Trust. As this was not a simple merger figures prior to 2002-03 are shown for information only and should not be compared to the figures for 2002-03 to 2005-06.  Finished admission episodes A finished admission episode is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Please note that admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.  Cause code The cause code is a supplementary code that indicates the nature of any external cause of injury, poisoning or other adverse effects.  Low numbers Due to reasons of confidentiality, figures between one and five have been suppressed and replaced with an asterisk.  Data quality Hospital episode statistics (HES) are compiled from data sent by over 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts (PCTs) in England. The Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. Whilst this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain.  Assessing growth through time HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. During the years that these records have been collected the NHS there have been ongoing improvements in quality and coverage. These improvements in information submitted by the NHS have been particularly marked in the earlier years and need to be borne in mind when analysing time series.  Ungrossed data Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed).  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The Information Centre for health and social care.

Wi-Fi: Health Hazards

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether her Department has issued advice to local education authorities and schools on the use of Wi-Fi.

Caroline Flint: The Department has not issued any advice to the local education authorities and schools on the use of Wi-Fi.

Junior Doctors: Recruitment

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many newly qualified medical students  (a) applied for junior doctor training posts and  (b) were successful in their application in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Rosie Winterton: A total of 6,465 applications were received for Modernising Medical Careers 2007 Foundation Programme (UK-wide). All 6,205 eligible applicants were offered a place on a foundation training programme.

Junior Doctors: Training

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what administrative mechanisms her Department used to plan the Medical Training Application Service.

Rosie Winterton: The Department used a project- based approach using Prince methodology to set up the Medical Training Application Service web service to support Modernising Medical Careers medical training recruitment. Detailed planning was approved by the project board.

Kidney Disease

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate her Department has made of the number of people likely to receive renal replacement therapy over the next 10 years.

Rosie Winterton: Part one of the renal national service framework (NSF), which was published in 2004, sets out the Department's view of likely trends in the population requiring renal replacement therapy in the medium term. In the NSF, we estimated that numbers of people with end stage renal failure and requiring renal replacement therapy would increase to around 45,000 over the 10 years ending 2014. The projected overall annual growth rate in the population requiring renal replacement therapy averages 4.5 per cent. to 5 per cent. per year. A higher rate of growth (6 per cent. to 8 per cent.) is expected in the number of patients needing hospital-based haemodialysis, and in the number of elderly kidney patients.

Kidney Disease

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people received treatment for the management of chronic kidney disease in each year since 2000.

Rosie Winterton: There is no national registry of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). The overwhelming majority of people with CKD are under the care of general practitioners and do not need to be seen by secondary or tertiary hospital services.
	At general practice level, the maintenance of a practice register of patients with CKD became a part of the Quality and Outcomes Framework in April 2006, which should mean that a very comprehensive CKD dataset will develop over the next few years.

Lymphoma

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many officials within her Department are responsible for lymphoma policy and implementation, broken down by grade.

Rosie Winterton: The cancer policy team work with the National Cancer Director to develop policy on cancer and end of life care. The responsibilities of the team members are divided along the patient pathway rather than by individual cancer type.
	There are 25.95 full-time equivalent members of the cancer policy team and the following table shows them broken down by grade.
	
		
			  Grade  Number 
			 Senior Civil Service 1 
			 Grade 6 3 
			 Grade 7 6.25 
			 Fast stream 1 
			 SEO 6.5 
			 HEO 2.8 
			 EO 4 
			 AO 1.4 
			 Total 25.95

Lymphoma

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the role of patient involvement in the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's appraisals of new lymphatic cancer treatments.

Caroline Flint: The public and patient involvement unit of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has well-developed strategies for ensuring that appropriate patient and carer organisations are invited to act as stakeholders or consultees in all NICE's guidance programmes, including technology appraisals. Lists of all stakeholders involved in each piece of guidance are published on NICE's website at www.nice.org.uk
	All NICE's advisory committees include individuals with experience of patient or carer advocacy.

Lymphoma

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans her Department has to continue funding for pump-primed lymphoma nurse specialist positions; and if she will increase expenditure on such positions.

Rosie Winterton: It is for local trusts in partnership with local stakeholders to determine how best to use their funds to meet national and local priorities for improving health and to commission services accordingly, which includes provision of specialist nursing posts. Where agreements have been made for alternate funding of these posts, this is a local matter.

Meat Hygiene Service: Contracts

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which companies are engaged by the Meat Hygiene Service to provide contract  (a) veterinary and  (b) meat inspection services.

Caroline Flint: The companies engaged by the Meat Hygiene Service to provide contract official veterinarians and meat hygiene inspectors are as follows:
	 Official veterinarians
	Hygiene Audit
	Carrick Veterinary Centre
	Onevet and Co.
	Grants Veterinary Services Ltd.
	Hallmark Meat Hygiene Ltd.
	Gordon Laboratory Group Ltd.
	Aker
	Aro Company Ltd.
	Sta Vets
	Eville and Jones
	Scotvet OVS Services
	Raoul Dowding Veterinary Services
	Perriferell Veterinary Services
	The Corporation of London
	Willows Veterinary Group
	VMHS Ltd.
	Merlin Veterinary Group
	Cranley John
	Harbit and Ryder
	Fenton Veterinary Centre
	Clyde Veterinary Group
	Lerwick Veterinary Practice
	S. A. Goodall
	Deveron Veterinary Surgeons
	Miller and Swann Vet. Surgeons
	McTaggart Veterinary Group
	Malcolm J Wheeler
	Armac Veterinary Group
	Southern Isles Vet. Practice
	Patrick A Boyd
	The Crofts Veterinary Centre
	Bellevue Veterinary Group
	Bodrwnsiwn Veterinary Group
	F C I—Food Consultancy and Inspection Ltd.
	E.LL. Williams
	Paws Veterinary Health Centre
	Acorn Vets Ltd.
	Jeffrey Kidner
	Mount Services Wellington LTD
	Michael Gratton
	Quarry Veterinary Group
	The Avenue Veterinary Centre
	Hook Norton
	Old Courts Veterinary Practice
	Crescent Veterinary Clinic
	G and P J Nute
	Oaksford and Birch
	Midforest Veterinary Practice
	Pearson, Thompson and Callery
	John Highet Ltd.
	Sinclair and Wight
	Paragon Veterinary Group
	County Veterinary Group
	Conanvet
	 Meat hygiene inspectors
	Hygiene Audit
	Grants Veterinary Services Ltd.
	VMHS Ltd.
	Eville and Jones
	The Corporation Of London
	F C I—Food Consultancy and Inspection Ltd.

Meat Hygiene Service: Contracts

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what hourly charges the Meat Hygiene Service pays to each contract agency in respect of  (a) contract veterinarians and  (b) contract meat inspectors.

Caroline Flint: The Meat Hygiene Service is unable to disclose the contents of individual contracts because the information contained therein is commercially sensitive.

Meat Hygiene Service: Contracts

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) contract veterinarians and  (b) contract meat inspectors are employed by the Meat Hygiene Service.

Caroline Flint: During the year 2006-07, the Meat Hygiene Service had an annual average full-time equivalent of 312 contract official veterinarians, and 213 contract meat hygiene inspectors.

Meat Hygiene Service: Contracts

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what checks the Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) carries out to determine the technical competence of contract veterinarians and contract meat inspectors; and what actions have been taken by the MHS in circumstances where such contractors have not met that level of technical competence.

Caroline Flint: The Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) holds contracts with a number of companies for the supply of official veterinarians (OVs) and meat hygiene inspectors. The contracts specify the qualifications and level of technical competence required by the MHS. When deployed to approved establishments, the technical competence of all contract staff is assessed and monitored; in-depth initially and periodically thereafter. Each month the technical competency of contract staff is assessed by the MHS as part of contract performance management against a range of key performance indicators. Contractors will also periodically assess the technical competence of their staff.
	In addition to the above management checks, the MHS Internal Audit Unit undertakes audits in approved establishments to assess whether MHS teams, which may include contract OVs and meat hygiene inspectors, are carrying out their duties in line with written instructions and regulatory requirements. The Internal Audit Unit also audits contractors' procedures, including the recruitment, induction, training and development, and appraisal of contract OVs and meat hygiene inspectors.
	In cases where a contract veterinarian or meat hygiene inspector is assessed as not meeting the required level of technical competence, the employing contractor is instructed to remove the individual and provide a technically competent replacement.

Meat Hygiene Service: Contracts

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost was to the Meat Hygiene Service of hiring contract veterinarians and contract meat inspectors in each of the last three years.

Caroline Flint: The Meat Hygiene Service's expenditure on contract official veterinarians and contract meat hygiene inspectors in each of the last three financial years is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  £ million 
			  Financial year  Contract official veterinarian cost  Contract  m eat  h ygiene  i nspector cost 
			 2004-05 22.3 1.4 
			 2005-06 21.9 4.5 
			 2006-07 20.6 8.9

Medical Records: Databases

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what controls she plans to put in place to ensure that patient records entered on the electronic care record database are not misused by researchers using the secondary uses service.

Caroline Flint: The primary purpose of the national health service care records service (NHS CRS) is to support the delivery of care to patients. However, the aim is that data extracted from NHS services supporting direct patient care, including the NHS care records service, choose and book and electronic transmission of prescriptions, will be made available either in aggregate form or, where detailed information is provided, in anonymised or pseudonymised form, via the so-called secondary uses service. The use of consistent pseudonym enables individual cases to be tracked.
	Identifiable information will be available only where patient consent has been formally given or where specific permissions apply. Permission is required from the Patient Information Advisory Group (PIAG), set up under the Health and Social Care Act 2001. The PIAG assesses each application to test that the use of patient information is justified, taking into account issues of confidentiality and consent.
	Access to the secondary uses service requires each user to be formally registered and to use individual smart card access, just as for other systems in the national programme for information technology. Each user is allocated a role which determines what reports, and what organisations or geography of data they may access. Key user activities, including logon and extraction of data, are recorded.
	The Secondary Uses Group set up by the Care Record Development Board to advise on the ethical use of patient data and how the potential for research, statistics and management can be realised without compromising confidentiality or security, is due to report shortly.

Medical Records: Databases

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received from GPs on plans to create an electronic care record for patients; and what assessment she has made of the implications for patient confidentiality of such a scheme.

Caroline Flint: Since the start of the national programme for information technology, the Department and NHS Connecting for Health have worked closely with individual, and groups of general practitioners (GPs), including the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) Health Informatics Standing Group. At the outset, the aim was to ensure that the wealth of some 20 years experience in clinical computing, in particular clinical noting and medication management, was distilled into the output based specification (OBS) for the integrated care records service. The OBS, which was published in July 2003, set the template for the subsequent procurement of all the clinical systems. Week-long design workshops were held to clearly define complex areas of functionality, in which the input of many GPs, both individual, and as representatives from RCGP and British Medical Association committees, was key.
	Since that time, representatives of around 60 professional organisations, including 14 Royal Colleges, among them the RCGP, have participated on national advisory groups which provide a forum for debate on development and implementation of the national programme, and the sharing of specialist expertise and experience of organisations that are already benefiting from IT implementation. Of NHS Connecting for Health's eight National Clinical Leads—senior figures representing different areas of the health service—two are for general practitioners.
	NHS Connecting for Health continues to engage on a daily basis with clinicians throughout England, and as a direct result of feedback from clinicians, improvements continue to be made across the range of programmes. This involvement is impossible to quantify precisely, but equates to hundreds of staff years of input.
	With regard to patient confidentiality, while no system can be 100 per cent. secure, we believe that the procedural and technical safeguards surrounding the new electronic care record service provide an unprecedented degree of assurance of security for national programme systems and services, and confidentiality of the personal data they will contain. With regard to specific evaluation arrangements, a ministerial taskforce was established in 2006 specifically to consider matters relating to confidentiality and patient consent. This taskforce reported in December 2006 and the follow-up actions are being overseen by an advisory group chaired by the Deputy Chief Medical Officer. In addition, a contract for independent evaluation of the summary care record early adopter programme, now under way in the north- west, has been awarded to a team at University College London. The evaluation will involve extensive fieldwork to capture the views and experiences of GPs, practice managers, nurses, other NHS clinical and management staff, and, of course, patients. The final report of the evaluation will be published in summer 2008, but emerging findings will influence the continued rollout of the summary care record.

Mentally Ill: Greater London

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many mental health patients moved on to independent living in each London borough in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: This information is not collected by the Department.

Midwives: Insurance

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to require independent midwives to obtain professional indemnity insurance; and whether there is any requirement by the European Commission for her Department to compel independent midwives to obtain such insurance.

Rosie Winterton: Our intention is to include provision for compulsory indemnity insurance as a condition of registration, as the opportunity arises in wider legislative change.
	European Directive 2005/36 on the recognition of professional qualifications allows (but does not require) regulatory bodies to demand evidence of indemnity insurance from incoming European migrants, provided that they demand the same information from United Kingdom nationals.

Midwives: Manpower

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the NHS workforce in England was represented by midwives in 2006, expressed in terms of  (a) headcount and  (b) whole-time equivalent.

Rosie Winterton: The following table shows the proportion of the national health service work force in England represented by midwives as at September 2006 in terms of both headcount and full-time equivalent.
	
		
			  NHS staff in England as at 30 September 2006 
			   Headcount  Percentage of work force  Full-time equivalent  Percentage of work force 
			 Total employed staff (including GP and practice staff) 1,338,140 100 1,095,163 100 
			  Of which: 
			 Registered midwives 24,469 2 18,862 2 
			  Sources: 1. The Information Centre for health and social care Non-Medical Workforce Census. 2. The Information Centre for health and social care Medical and Dental Workforce Census. 3. The Information Centre for health and social care General and Personal Medical Services Statistics.

MRSA: Conquest Hospital

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of MRSA have been detected at the Conquest hospital in East Sussex; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The data is not available as requested. The best available information is from the mandatory methicillin resistant  Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) blood stream infections surveillance that began in April 2001 and covers acute national health service trusts in England rather than individual hospitals.
	The Conquest hospital is part of the East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust and the number of reported MRSA blood stream infections for that trust for the period April 2001 to December 2006 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  East Sussex hospitals NHS trust 
			   Number of reported blood stream infections (bacteraemia) 
			 April 2001-March 2002 67 
			 April 2002-March 2003 52 
			 April 2003-March 2004 60 
			 April 2004-March 2005 42 
			 April 2005-March 2006 59 
			 April 2006-December 2006 71 
			  Source:  Health Protection Agency

Muscular Dystrophy

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what facilities and treatment are available for sufferers of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Ivan Lewis: Treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is currently aimed at controlling symptoms to maximize the quality of life. This primarily involves physiotherapy and other supportive treatments, including pharmacological interventions, physical activity, surgery and the provision of orthopaedic appliances. Appropriate respiratory support is available as the disease progresses.
	The new translational research centre for neuromuscular diseases at University College London is one of six new Medical Research Council funded research centres that will translate scientific discoveries into new drugs, therapies, diagnostic tools, and methods of prevention. This will be the first such centre in the United Kingdom for the study of disabling diseases like DMD and will facilitate the rapid transfer of research knowledge to the clinical environment.

Musculoskeletal Disorders

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who within her Department is responsible for championing the implementation of the musculoskeletal services framework.

Ivan Lewis: The Department's 18 weeks orthopaedics project team, led by Philippa Robinson, 18 Weeks National Implementation Director, is working to address the particular issues in orthopaedics, and to maximise the benefits of moving care closer to home. Following the publication of the musculoskeletal services framework in July 2006, the 18 week orthopaedic project is working closely with the NHS to support the implementation of the good practice set out in the musculoskeletal services framework.

Musculoskeletal Disorders

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many primary care trusts have established clinical assessment and treatment services as encouraged by the musculoskeletal services framework.

Ivan Lewis: This information is not collected centrally.

NHS Blood and Transplant: Birmingham

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the decision to close the National Blood Service Centre in Birmingham; and what discussions she has held with the  (a) Unison and  (b) Unite trade unions concerning the decision.

Caroline Flint: The National Blood Service (NBS) infrastructure is not fully adequate for modern processing and testing requirements. The testing and processing facilities require investment and modernisation which is planned as part of the NHS Blood and Transplant Service Strategy. As part of this, the NBS will consolidate blood processing and testing activity into fewer, modern, more flexible buildings. This is being led with the development of an entirely new site at Filton, Bristol, and this will allow the NBS to meet current and prospective national health service needs, effectively and efficiently.
	The proposed changes will not impact upon the service to local hospitals. The centres in Birmingham will continue to provide critical services to local hospitals such as continuing to have a local blood bank to meet hospital orders for blood.
	I formally met with representatives of Unison and Amicus in December 2006 to discuss the proposals by the NBS.

NHS Bodies and Premises: Inspections

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 23 March 2007,  Official Report, column 1198W, on NHS bodies and premises: inspections, which organisations can conduct inspections of NHS bodies and premises under her authority; and whether her Department maintains a list of all organisations which have the power to inspect NHS bodies and premises.

Andy Burnham: The Healthcare Commission, in their role as the lead inspectorate for health, co-ordinates other regulatory bodies to promote effective and proportionate inspection and regulation.
	The Department does not itself maintain a list of organisations who have the power to inspect national health service bodies and premises.
	The Healthcare Inspection Concordat was launched in June 2004 to promote better co-ordinated inspection and minimise the data collection burden on NHS trusts. Twenty of the key inspecting bodies in health, including the Department as an associate signatory, are formally signed up to its principles. The Healthcare Commission has been in discussion with various regulatory bodies about their becoming signatories to the concordat.
	The list of the 20 signatories is available at:
	www.concordat.org.uk/_db/_documents/Concordat_-_version_(May_06).pdf

NHS Commissioning

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the commitment by the Minister of State of 20 February 2007,  Official Report, column 62WH, in a debate on NHS Commissioning, when the Minister of State will visit the Warrington Campus of the University of Chester.

Andy Burnham: A visit to the Warrington Campus of the University of Chester has been provisionally arranged for the morning of Friday 20 July.

NHS: Finance

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on  (a) the NHS,  (b) NHS hospital and community health services and  (c) NHS maternity services in the 2006-07 financial year.

Andy Burnham: The information for 2006-07 will not be available until the audited accounts are published in the autumn of 2007.

NHS: Finance

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 15 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1391W, on NHS: finance, which organisation collects data on the number of practices receiving component two of the payment.

Andy Burnham: Decisions on the payment of component two of the Directed Enhanced Service (DES) are made by primary care trusts (PCTs) following an assessment of whether practices have fulfilled the commitments in their practice-based commissioning plans. It is for PCTs to maintain data on these DES payments.

NHS: Foreign Nationals

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance is issued to local NHS bodies on claiming money from foreign nationals who use NHS services.

Rosie Winterton: Anyone who is not ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom is subject to the provisions of the National Health Service (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 1989, as amended. These require NHS bodies providing hospital services to establish whether a patient is ordinarily resident or, if not, exempt from charges under one of the exemption categories set out in the regulations. Anyone who is not exempt should be charged for any hospital treatment provided.
	The charging regulations were amended in April 2004. At the same time the Department issued comprehensive revised and updated guidance to NHS trusts on implementation of the amended regulations.

NHS: Greater London

Derek Conway: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding was provided, net of Department of Health penalties and top-slicing clawback  (a) in total and  (b) by head of population to each NHS care trust in London in each of the last five years.

Andy Burnham: Table 1 shows the final revenue resource limits (RRL) for primary care trusts (PCTs) covered by London strategic health authority (SHA) for the years 2003-04 to 2005-06. For 2006-07, the provisional outturn figure has been used. The RRLs quoted take account of any adjustments made to the initial allocations to PCTs, including top-slice and clawback, throughout the year.
	Table 2 shows the 2003-04 to 2005-06 allocations per unweighted head for PCTs covered by London SHA. Table 3 shows the 2006-07 to 2007-08 revenue allocations per unweighted head for PCTs covered by London SHA. Actual allocations to PCTs are, however, informed by a weighted-capitation formula and pace of change policy.
	
		
			  Table 1 
			  £000 
			   Revenue Resource Limit  Provisional Plan data Forecast Revenue Resource Limit 
			  Primary Care Trust  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Barking and Dagenham 162,183 200,142 219,267 231,066 271,438 
			 Barnet 344,550 398,406 423,457 414,624 437,378 
			 Bexley Care Trust 197,939 229,824 236,325 249,460 267,166 
			 Brent Teaching 320,653 375,069 380,427 402,520 425,557 
			 Bromley 306,466 341,408 370,576 369,444 387,743 
			 Camden 131,260 361,058 303,167 371,387 370,239 
			 City and Hackney Teaching 276,799 333,748 367,398 369,115 401,608 
			 Croydon 324,472 378,024 402,884 415,217 451,697 
			 Ealing 334,341 406,485 440,645 440,512 460,810 
			 Enfield 271,733 306,478 329,195 342,548 363,764 
			 Greenwich Teaching 278,652 306,262 327,241 342,518 368,931 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 201,593 232,170 245,150 271,912 269,042 
			 Haringey Teaching 270,224 316,190 339,105 344,664 367,448 
			 Harrow 194,385 225,865 233,872 244,626 255,365 
			 Havering 241,083 274,718 301,106 313,845 319,370 
			 Hillingdon 229,600 267,562 284,584 251,222 310,790 
			 Hounslow 241,039 286,088 272,129 286,689 309,262 
			 Islington 248,684 312,179 332,501 340,936 345,180 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 233,571 270,019 282,628 281,189 296,754 
			 Kingston 153,864 184,480 194,951 182,959 208,411 
			 Lambeth 399,056 466,357 500,422 480,365 524,296 
			 Lewisham 299,691 350,836 371,791 398,974 401,438 
			 Newham 301,286 353,753 392,188 415,287 436,144 
			 Redbridge 213,698 250,152 273,607 288,732 317,605 
			 Richmond and Twickenham 173,343 212,777 225,432 216,357 226,249 
			 Southwark 309,150 364,928 402,296 396,937 429,545 
			 Sutton and Merton 378,656 418,299 446,703 443,661 481,466 
			 Tower Hamlets 257,435 315,451 268,13l 352,015 372,537 
			 Waltham Forest 247,358 280,129 301,099 307,015 337,446 
			 Wandsworth 320,641 356,382 363,193 398,889 424,759 
			 Westminster 303,647 344,902 363,958 357,925 385,728 
			 Total 8,336,602 9,722,141 10,385,428 10,522,633 11,225,166 
			  Source: Audited London PCT summarisation forms Department of Health financial monitoring returns Financial plans for 2007-08 as subject to final validation and sign off with the national health service 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2 
			  £ 
			   allocation per unweighted head 
			  Organisation  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Barking and Dagenham 936 1,045 1,270 
			 Barnet 940 1,017 1,197 
			 Bexley Care Trust 878 957 1,141 
			 Brent Teaching 1,048 1,162 1,381 
			 Bromley 881 955 1,132 
			 Camden 1,217 1,317 1,522 
			 City and Hackney Teaching 1,188 1,310 1,536 
			 Croydon 890 973 1,172 
			 Ealing 1,013 1,108 1,297 
			 Enfield 922 1,008 1,217 
			 Greenwich Teaching 1,031 1,124 1,349 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 1,114 1,220 1,403 
			 Haringey Teaching 1,035 1,139 1,357 
			 Harrow 910 993 1,198 
			 Havering 913 998 1,176 
			 Hillingdon 923 1,000 1,177 
			 Hounslow 992 1,085 1,264 
			 Islington 1,375 1,499 1,697 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 1,083 1,148 1,275 
			 Kingston 873 943 1,119 
			 Lambeth 1,156 1,275 1,545 
			 Lewisham 1,137 1,254 1,484 
			 Newham 1,057 1,167 1,441 
			 Redbridge 926 1,008 1,192 
			 Richmond and Twickenham 897 966 1,118 
			 Southwark 1,182 1,303 1,558 
			 Sutton and Merton 901 980 1,166 
			 Tower Hamlets 1,156 1,294 1,565 
			 Waltham Forest 998 1,096 1,308 
			 Wandsworth 1,028 1,125 1,328 
			 Westminster 1,189 1,255 1,421 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3 
			  £ 
			   allocation per unweighted head 
			  Organisation  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Barking and Dagenham 1,435 1,581 
			 Barnet 1,282 1,374 
			 Bexley Care Trust 1,233 1,339 
			 Brent Teaching 1,502 1,632 
			 Bromley 1,215 1,306 
			 Camden 1,621 1,727 
			 City and Hackney Teaching 1,671 1,818 
			 Croydon 1,262 1,359 
			 Ealing 1,402 1,516 
			 Enfield 1,317 1,432 
			 Greenwich Teaching 1,452 1,558 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 1,514 1,626 
			 Haringey Teaching 1,473 1,595 
			 Harrow 1,293 1,396 
			 Havering 1,273 1,384 
			 Hillingdon 1,264 1,358 
			 Hounslow 1,366 1,477 
			 Islington 1,824 1,956 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 1,338 1,407 
			 Kingston 1,197 1,280 
			 Lambeth 1.676 1,812 
			 Lewisham 1,611 1,743 
			 Newham 1,573 1,714 
			 Redbridge 1,282 1,384 
			 Richmond and Twickenham 1,193 1,273 
			 Southwark 1,689 1,825 
			 Sutton and Merton 1,254 1,347 
			 Tower Hamlets 1,695 1,843 
			 Waltham Forest 1,415 1,531 
			 Wandsworth 1,429 1,538 
			 Westminster 1,488 1,564

NHS: ICT

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 12 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1004W, on NHS: ICT, when the  (a) engineering-based timetables,  (b) plan of key milestones and  (c) evidence-based development plans will be (i) completed and (ii) made publicly available.

Caroline Flint: Work has been ongoing since the inception of the national programme, in line with normal programme management arrangements, to regularly review and update the engineering-based development and release plans with suppliers. Since plans can be subject to change for a variety of purposes, including new requirements, changed priorities and the business needs of the national health service, this process will continue throughout the life of the contracts.
	Detailed implementation planning became the responsibility of individual trusts and the chief executives of strategic health authorities from April 2007. There are no plans to make these details routinely available.

NHS: ICT

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether her Department set up  (a) a Task Force,  (b) a Steering Group and  (c) any other regular series of meetings on the Connecting for Health programme.

Caroline Flint: Governance arrangements for the national programme for information technology, which is being delivered by NHS Connecting for Health, are based on Cabinet Office best practice.

NHS: Private Sector

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what payments  (a) her Department and  (b) the NHS made to BUPA in each year since 1997.

Andy Burnham: The Department, as part of Government accounting rules, only retain financial information for seven years. We are currently in financial year 2007-08 so our records only go back 2001-02. The following available information covers that period. The financial years 2001-02, 2003-04 and 2004-05 contain no transactions.
	Payments in financial year 2002-03: £74,812.25
	Payments for financial year 2005-06: £12,863,284.81
	The background information for these two payments
	GSup 2 was a procurement for a period of less than one year to provide additional capacity in various strategic health authority regions which was fully centrally funded. BUPA were one of three providers of the GSup 2 services. The services provided were almost entirely in orthopaedics.
	Payment for financial year 2005-06: £299.01
	This payment covers insurance for the play schemes that year.
	Payments for financial year 2006-07: £832,633.16
	These invoices are part of the GSup2 and were submitted across the financial year. The costs would have accrued from 2005-06.
	The information requested in respect of the national health service is not held by the Department.

NHS: Public Participation

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many public consultations were carried out by NHS trusts in 2006-07; and in how many of these consultations the relevant trust's board chose an option which did not have majority public support.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not held centrally.
	Under Section 11 of the Health and Social Care Act 2001 (now section 242 of the NHS Act 2006), it is the duty of national health service trusts, primary care trusts and strategic health authorities to make appropriate arrangements to involve and consult patients and the public in service planning, in the development of proposals to change services, and in decisions affecting the operation of services.

Pregnancy Book

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 25 January 2007,  Official Report, column 2046W, on the Pregnancy Book, if she will make available the initial report on screening for kernicterus.

Ivan Lewis: A copy of the report, prepared for the United Kingdom National Screening Committee, entitled "Screening for Hyperbilirubinemia" has been placed in the Library.

Prescription Drugs: Channel Islands

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when Ministers from her Department last met with representatives of the Government of the Bailiwicks of  (a) Jersey and  (b) Guernsey; whether medicines legislation was discussed; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The Lord Chancellor met with the Chief Minister of Guernsey on 24 April this year. Many issues were discussed including the United Kingdom's view on the Medicines Directive. The Lord Chancellor last met with the Chief Minister of Jersey at a dinner he hosted on 22 February. The opportunity to discuss these directives did not arise.

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 12 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1008W, on prescriptions: fees and charges, how many prescriptions were dispensed in  (a) 2005-06 and  (b) 2006-07; and how many in each year were marked evidence not seen.

Caroline Flint: The numbers of prescriptions items dispensed in the community in England are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Financial year  Prescription items dispensed (million) 
			 2005-06 733.011 
			 2006-07 762.632 
			  Source: Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) system 
		
	
	Data on number of prescription items classified as evidence not seen are not collected centrally.

Psychology

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what her Department's response is to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's recommendations on provision of psychological therapies.

Rosie Winterton: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) have issued several items of guidance and technology appraisals that are pertinent to the delivery of psychological therapies, including guidelines on the management of depression and schizophrenia which both identified the effectiveness of psychological therapies. To support the local delivery of NICE Technology Appraisal TA097, we issued implementation guidance for computerised cognitive behavioural therapy in March 2007. In November 2005, the Department launched its improving access to psychological therapies programme. This programme is being extended to a further 10 sites (to add to the two original demonstration sites in Doncaster and Newham) in 2007-08. It is also working with primary care trust commissioners to examine how NICE evidence-based psychological therapies can be offered for patients with depression and anxiety disorders.

Psychology: Finance

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what financial support was provided by the NHS for psychological therapies in  (a) 2006-07 and  (b) 2007-08.

Rosie Winterton: Financial details of the national health service spend for psychological therapies in 2006-07 and the current financial year are not yet available. The most recent data is provided by the "2005/06 National Survey of Investment in Mental Health Services" commissioned by the Department and provided by mental health strategies. For the five years from 2001-02 to 2005-06, there has been a net real terms (i.e. net of pay and prices) increase in investment from £125 million to £142 million.
	More recently in April 2007, Professor Louis Appleby, the National Director for Mental Health, described in his report "Mental Health Ten Years On: Progress in Mental Health Reform" that the number of clinical psychologists in the NHS had increased to 6,800, a rise of 2,700 (69 per cent.) since 1997.

Recombinant Factor VII

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who the parties are to the service level agreement referred to in the answer,  Official Report, column 817W, on recombinant factor VII of 3 July 2006.

Caroline Flint: The service level agreement is between the Department and the 10 strategic health authorities.

Royal London Homeopathic Hospital: Closures

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the likely impact of the closure of the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital on Brent residents.

Andy Burnham: This is a matter for the chair of The University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. We have written to Robert Naylor informing him of the hon. Member's inquiry. He will reply shortly and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.

Selly Oak Hospital: Afghan Nationals

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many Afghan nationals have been given treatment in Selly Oak Hospital for  (a) gunshot wounds and  (b) wounds caused by grenade fragments in each of the last five years.

Caroline Flint: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Smoking

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what requirement churches and other places of worship have to display no-smoking signs once the public smoking ban is introduced in England.

Caroline Flint: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 11 June 2007,  Official Report, column 879W, for details on the legal requirements for the display of no-smoking signs.

Smoking

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many full-time equivalent staff are employed as  (a) regional tobacco control managers and  (b) their associated support staff;
	(2)  what total budget has been allocated to fund regional tobacco control managers in 2007-08.

Caroline Flint: Arrangements for regional tobacco control vary around the country. Government Offices of the Regions (GORS) employ some regional tobacco policy managers (RTPMs) and others are employed by primary care trusts. Finance for RTPMs is from a range of sources, including the Department.
	The North East region has one full-time equivalent (FTE) RTPM and one FTE support staff and a six month commissioned post of one 0.2 FTE communications officer.
	The North West has three FTE posts, including one RTPM.
	The East Midlands RPTM post is currently vacant and a recruitment exercise is taking place at the moment.
	The South East has an FTE RPTM post and 0.2 FTE administrative support.
	The East of England currently has no FTE RTPM or associated support staff. Tobacco control work is undertaken as by 0.5 of FTE for a member of the health programmes team.
	The South West has one FTE RTPM and one temporary administrative support varying between 0.4 FTE to one FTE depending on local priorities.
	London region has one FTE RTPM and one FTE support.
	The West Midlands has a seconded RTPM at 0.8 FTE, additional work is sourced by short-term contracts for specific project work.
	Yorkshire and Humberside has one FTE RTPM and a 0.2 FTE administrative support.
	In 2007-08, £2 million has been allocated to the regional public health groups' budgets to support work on tobacco control.

Smoking: Prisons

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the impact on delivery of nicotine replacement therapy within prison establishments of  (a) prison staff levels,  (b) competing workload demands and  (c) prisoner transfers between establishments across the Prison Estate; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: Since April 2006, commissioning responsibility for prison health services has been fully devolved to primary care trusts (PCT).
	For each of the financial years 2003-06, the Department provided an additional £500,000 funding to bring smoking cessation services into prisons in England, including nicotine replacement therapy, in line with National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines. Resources are now contained within baseline PCT funding and provision is determined by local health needs assessment, in partnership with the prison.

Social Services

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to establish a new consensus for a new, fair and sustainable settlement in social care as stated by the Minister for care services; who the key partners will be in such a consensus; and what definition she uses of  (a) fair and  (b) sustainable.

Ivan Lewis: The Government have provided significant investment in local services, including in the area of social care, since taking office. Total Government grant has increased by 39 per cent, in real terms since 1997 and this has delivered real improvements.
	We are committed to ensuring that local authorities can continue to deliver effective local services. We are working with local government representatives to identify future pressures on local authorities, and the ways in which these can best be managed, as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) 2007.
	As is normal in the run-up to any Government Spending Review, the Secretary of State and her Ministers hold regular internal meetings to plan the new settlement.
	The Government believe it is important that the 2007 CSR is informed by wide public debate on the long-term challenges facing the United Kingdom. Across Government, the public are being engaged on a wide range of issues related to the CSR. In social care, the consultation "Your Health, Your Care, Your Say" provided an opportunity to hear the views of the public of the priorities for their local health and social care services.

South East Coastal Strategic Health Association: Manpower

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have been employed by South East Coastal Strategic Health Association and its successor organisations in each of the last five years.

Caroline Flint: The information requested is listed in the following table.
	
		
			  NHS hospital and community health services: NHS staff in the South East Coast Strategic Health Authority (SHA) as at 30 September each specified year 
			  H eadcount 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 South East Coast SHA 571 396 235 243 344 
			 Kent and Medway SHA 238 92 96 102 (1)— 
			 Surrey and Sussex SHA 333 304 139 141 (1)— 
			 (1) Not applicable.   Note: The South East Coast Strategic Health Authority was created on 1 July 2006 from the merger of Surrey and Sussex SHA and Kent and Medway SHA. Figures prior to 2006 are an aggregate of the two predecessor organisations.  Sources: 1. The Information Centre for health and social care Non-Medical Workforce Census. 2. The Information Centre for health and social care Medical and Dental Workforce Census.

Strokes: Research

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what  (a) financial and  (b) other support her Department provides to charities involved in stroke research; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The Section 64 General Scheme of Grants to voluntary organisations is the Department's main funding source to voluntary organisations; however, the Department cannot award grants if the grant will support research as the Department supports research through the National Institute for Health Research.
	Notwithstanding this fact, in recent years, the Department has supported a series of non-research stroke projects proposed by the Stroke Association. In the 2007-08 round the Department also approved stroke related projects by the Afiya Trust and Connect—the Communication Disability Network.
	
		
			  Organisation  Project  Funding period  Amount  (£) 
			 Connect—the Communication Disability Network Enabling new connections 2007-08 to 2009-10 148,210 
			 The Afiya Trust Stroke Awareness for Black & Minority Ethnic Communities 2007-08 to 2009-10 138,300 
			 The Stroke Association Stroke is a Medical Emergency: Know the Warning Signs 2006-07 to 2008-09 88,000 
			 The Stroke Association Blood Pressure Awareness: African Caribbean Communities 2006-07 to 2008-09 117,500 
			 The Stroke Association Blood Pressure Awareness: Active Intervention 2006-07 to 2008-09 151,500 
			 The Stroke Association Stroke Prevention: South Asian Communities (1)2004-05 to 2006-07 70,500 
			 (1 )Completed 
		
	
	The Department is working closely with voluntary organisations, including those listed in the previous table and others, in the development of the National Stroke Strategy.
	The Department has also taken separate steps to support stroke research. The Department's National Institute for Health Research is investing £20 million over five years in the United Kingdom Stroke Research Network set up in 2005. The Network is supporting clinical trials and other well designed studies conducted by public and private sector funders.
	More broadly, over the last ten years, the main part of the Department's total expenditure on health research has been devolved to and managed by national health service organisations. Details of individual NHS supported research projects are available on the national research register at www.dh.gov.uk/research.

Surgery

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of admitted pathways in  (a) gastroenterology,  (b) cardiology and  (c) neurosurgery (i) at the university hospital of North Staffordshire and (ii) in England were completed.

Andy Burnham: The requested data is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Referral to treatment (RTT) times for university hospital of North Staffordshire NHS trust and England, March 2007 
			   Admitted pathways—percentage completed within 18 weeks 
			  Treatment function  University hospital  of North Staffordshire NHS trust  England (commissioner based) 
			 Neurosurgery 18 39 
			 Gastroenterology 22 76 
			 Cardiology 39 61

Sussex Hospital: Admissions

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many accident and emergency patients were treated at the Sussex County Hospital in Brighton in each of the last  (a) 12 months and  (b) five years; and how many of them were subsequently admitted to hospital.

Andy Burnham: The Department does not collect accident and emergency (A&E) attendance or admission data at individual hospital level. Information is available at trust level.
	The information in the tables is for all types of A&E department. Published information is available only at quarterly intervals.
	
		
			  Attendances at and admissions via A&E departments at Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals National Health Service Trust, 2006-07 
			  Quarter  A&E Attendances  Admissions via A&E 
			 Q1 32,820 5,833 
			 Q2 33,464 5,512 
			 Q3 30,768 5,774 
			 Q4 31,215 6,031 
			  Source: Department of Health dataset QMAE. 
		
	
	
		
			  Attendances at and admissions via A&E departments at Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust, 2002-03 to 2006-07 
			   A&E Attendances  Admissions via A&E 
			 2002-03 108,088 17,779 
			 2003-04 112,695 17,721 
			 2004-05 120,463 19,364 
			 2005-06 124,386 20,073 
			 2006-07 128,267 23,150 
			  Note: Latest available data are for Q4 2006-07.  Source: Department of Health dataset QMAE.

Sussex Hospital: Admissions

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many times the Sussex County hospital has been put on red alert in respect of patient influx in the last three years.

Andy Burnham: The information requested is not collected centrally. National health service organisations will have their own locally determined policy on how to provide health care in times of increased demand.

Tomography: Finance

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects the £20 million extra capital expenditure on new position emission tomography and computed tomography facilities announced on 12 October 2005 to come on stream in clinical practice.

Rosie Winterton: The Department does not routinely collect information on the number, location and operational status of positron emission tomography (PET) scanners or computed tomography (CT) scanners.
	The £20 million additional capital expenditure is being made available to strategic health authorities (SHAs) in the financial years 2006-08, through the national health service bundle. It will be for SHAs to decide how best to use this money to meet the needs of its population for PET-CT services.

Tuberculosis: Vaccination

Derek Conway: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which NHS care trusts in London have provided the BCG vaccination to all children following the July 2005 issue of the Chief Medical Officer's Directive on national BCG vaccinations; and what the incidence of tuberculosis was in each trust area in the latest period for which figures are available.

Caroline Flint: On 6 July 2005 the Chief Medical Officer announced that the Bacillus Calmette Guerin (BCG) Vaccination programme would change to a targeted risk based programme. Data on the number of children offered BCG by primary care trust is not held centrally, although the number of children receiving BCG vaccine is collected by the Information Centre and published in the booklet NHS Immunisation Statistics, England 2005-06, a copy of which is available in the Library.
	The incidence rate of tuberculosis (TB) is collected by the Health Protection Agency (HPA). The incidence rate for all London primary care trusts in 2005 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Primary care trust name  Mean rate (per 100,000)* 
			 Barking and Dagenham PCT 29 
			 Barnet PCT 32 
			 Bexley Care Trust 12 
			 Brent Teaching PCT 91 
			 Bromley PCT 10 
			 Camden PCT 44 
			 City and Hackney Teaching PCT 69 
			 Croydon PCT 34 
			 Ealing PCT 75 
			 Enfield PCT 35 
			 Greenwich Teaching PCT 36 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham PCT 42 
			 Haringey Teaching PCT 61 
			 Harrow PCT 55 
			 Havering PCT 8 
			 Hillingdon PCT 50 
			 Hounslow PCT 60 
			 Islington PCT 49 
			 Kensington and Chelsea PCT 26 
			 Kingston PCT 15 
			 Lambeth PCT 53 
			 Lewisham PCT 34 
			 Newham PCT 100 
			 Redbridge PCT 46 
			 Richmond and Twickenham PCT 8 
			 Southwark PCT 49 
			 Sutton and Merton PCT 22 
			 Tower Hamlets PCT 63 
			 Waltham Forest PCT 47 
			 Wandsworth PCT 38 
			 Westminster PCT 39 
			  Source: Enhanced Tuberculosis Surveillance, Office for National Statistics mid-year population estimates.

Vaccination

Dari Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the take-up was of  (a) measles, mumps and rubella,  (b) pneumococcal and  (c) menc vaccines in each of the last five years; and what assessment she has made of the impact of the take-up rate of each on the incidence of preventable disease and death.

Caroline Flint: Information about the uptake of measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) and meningitis C vaccines, along with other childhood immunisations, is published annually in the Department's statistical bulletins. The latest bulletin, NHS Immunisation Statistics, England: 2005-06, has been placed in the Library and on the Department's website at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/health-and-lifestyles/immunisation/immunisation-statistics-england-2005-2006.
	Information on uptake of pneumococcal vaccine in children is not yet available.
	The impact of vaccination on diseases has been immense. Before vaccination was introduced, there used to be over 500,000 cases of measles in some years. In recent years, the number of cases has been under 1,000. I would like to see the rise in MMR uptake to continue so that the number of cases of this serious but preventable disease decline significantly.
	The impact of the pneumococcal vaccination programme is already being seen through disease surveillance carried out on our behalf by the Health Protection Agency. The number of cases of serious pneumococcal infection caused by the strains of bacteria that the vaccine protects against is already declining in young children.
	The Meningitis C vaccination programme has been a great success, with the rates of the disease falling by over 97 per cent. in all age groups vaccinated.

Voluntary Organisations: Finance

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the reasons are for the changes in funding for  (a) the Opportunities for Volunteering fund and  (b) section 64 grants.

Ivan Lewis: Funding through the Opportunities for Volunteering Scheme (OFV) and the section 64 General Scheme of Grants has not changed. We are about to start a strategic funding and investment review into the Department's funding of the Third Sector. This will cover the Department's primary third sector funding streams—S64 and OFV—as well as contracts and grants across the range of departmental programmes.
	The aim is to develop a framework for more coherent investment in the sector by the Department that transforms current piecemeal arrangements into a strategic portfolio of investments to support the Department in meeting its objectives more effectively. This will include examination of the potential for reforming the OFV scheme following its 25 years of operation.

West Sussex Primary Care Trust: Expenditure

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much money has been spent on preparing West Sussex primary care trust's Fit for the Future consultation exercise; and how much more is budgeted.

Caroline Flint: The information requested is not held centrally. Any proposals for major service change are a matter for the national health service locally.

West Sussex Primary Care Trust: Finance

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the budget is for West Sussex Primary Care Trust in the current year; and what its anticipated budget is in each of the next two years.

Caroline Flint: West Sussex Teaching Primary Care Trust (PCT) received revenue allocations of £952.5 million in 2006-07 and £1,034.0 million in 2007-08. These represent a cash increase of £155.4 million or 17.7 per cent. over the two years, compared with a national average of 19.5 per cent. West Sussex Teaching PCT will be 2.4 per cent. over target by 2007-08.
	Revenue allocations post 2007-08 have not yet been determined.

West Sussex Primary Care Trust: Manpower

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have been employed by West Sussex Primary Care Trust and its predecessor organisations in each of the last five years expressed as  (a) full-time equivalent and  (b) headcount.

Caroline Flint: The information requested is provided in the following table:
	
		
			  All national health service staff, by main staff group, for specified organisations, as at 30 September 2002-06 
			  Number (headcount) 
			2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Total specified organisations 4,374 4,619 5,244 5,448 5,676 
			  HCHS medical and staff(1) 34 33 34 35 35 
			  HCHS non-medical staff 2,174 2,294 2,950 3,078 3,222 
			  General medical practitioners (GMPs) 505 537 553 582 569 
			  GP practice staff 1,661 1,755 1,707 1,753 1,850 
			
			 5L8 Adur, Arun and Worthing PCT  
			  HCHS medical and staff(1) 4 3 3 3 n/a 
			  HCHS non-medical staff 786 781 1,218 1,313 n/a 
			  GMPs 134 146 155 159 n/a 
			  GP practice staff 530 530 530 474 n/a 
			
			 5MA Crawley PCT  
			  HCHS medical and staff 8 10 4 4 n/a 
			  HCHS non-medical staff 161 189 244 265 n/a 
			  GMPs 74 78 78 84 n/a 
			  GP practice staff 212 209 209 209 n/a 
			
			 5MC Horsham and Chanctonbury PCT  
			  HCHS medical and staff(1) (2)— (2)— (2)— (2)— n/a 
			  HCHS non-medical staff 143 233 287 272 n/a 
			  GMPs 59 59 79 82 n/a 
			  GP practice staff 199 190 248 424 n/a 
			
			 5FK Mid-Sussex PCT  
			  HCHS medical and staff 19 15 19 22 n/a 
			  HCHS non-medical staff 312 384 419 482 n/a 
			  GMPs 95 97 97 109 n/a 
			  GP practice staff 249 351 356 356 n/a 
			
			 5L9 Western Sussex PCT  
			  HCHS medical and staff 3 5 8 6 n/a 
			  HCHS non-medical staff 772 707 782 746 n/a 
			  GMPs 143 157 144 148 n/a 
			  GP practice staff 471 475 364 290 n/a 
			
			 5P6 West Sussex PCT  
			  HCHS medical and staff n/a n/a n/a n/a 35 
			  HCHS non-medical staff n/a n/a n/a n/a 3,222 
			  GMPs n/a n/a n/a n/a 569 
			  GP practice staff n/a n/a n/a n/a 1,850 
			 n/a = Data not available. (1) Excludes Hospital Medical Hospital Practitioners and Hospital Medical Clinical Assistants, most of whom are GPs working part time in hospitals. (2) Zero.  Source: The Information Centre, General and Personal Medical Services Statistics, Medical and Dental Workforce Census, Non-medical Workforce Census

Written Questions

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she will answer question 139039, tabled on 21 May 2007 by the hon. Member for Bournemouth East, on Bournemouth hospital's accident and emergency department.

Andy Burnham: A reply was given on 19 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1628W.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders were  (a) issued and  (b) breached in each year since their introduction in (i) Suffolk, (ii) Bedfordshire, (iii) Cambridgeshire, (iv) Essex, (v) Hertfordshire, (vi) Norfolk and (vii) England.

Vernon Coaker: The available information (up to 31 December 2005, latest available) is given in the table. The first table shows the number of orders issued (by year and by area) and the second the number of breach convictions (by area and by year). It is of course possible that an order recorded as having been breached in, say, 2004 could have been issued in 2003, and therefore the two tables are not directly comparable.
	
		
			  Number of antisocial behaviour orders issued at all courts, as reported to the Home Office by the Court Service, by area and year, April 1999 to December 2005 
			  CJS area  Total issued  April 1999 to May 2000  June 2000 to December 2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 Bedfordshire 82 0 0 4 4 16 18 40 
			 Cambridgeshire 101 5 1 2 2 15 26 50 
			 Essex 149 0 0 0 2 16 59 72 
			 Hertfordshire 146 1 1 9 6 17 40 72 
			 Norfolk 123 6 0 12 9 7 43 46 
			 Suffolk 168 3 0 4 5 25 78 53 
			 England 9,431 104 135 344 414 1,272 3,317 3,845 
			  Notes: 1. Previously issued data have been revised following joint Home Office/Court Service data reconciliation exercises. 2. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: As reported to the Home Office by the Court Service. 
		
	
	
		
			  Persons proven in court to have breached their ASBO In Each CJS area( 1)  and year( 2)  from 1 June 2000 to 31 December 2005 
			  CJS area  2000-02( 3)  2003  2004  2005 
			 Bedfordshire 5 9 9 22 
			 Cambridgeshire 5 8 14 22 
			 Essex 1 2 29 70 
			 Hertfordshire 4 7 24 37 
			 Norfolk 10 5 14 31 
			 Suffolk 2 9 24 50 
			 England 378 685 1,799 3,243 
			 (1) ASBOs may be issued in one area and breached in another. Breaches are counted in this table on area of breach. (2) It is possible for an individual to breach their ASBO in more than one year, so persons may be counted more than once in this table. (3) From 1 June 2000.  Note: Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: OCJR Court Proceedings Database.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders: Custodial Treatment

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Answer of 22 March 2007,  Official Report, column 1059W, on antisocial behaviour orders: custodial treatment, how many breaches of anti-social behaviour orders occurred in 2005; and how many ended in custodial detention.

Vernon Coaker: In England and Wales during 2005, there were 7,556 occasions where breach of an ASBO was proven in court. A custodial sentence was given on 3,440 of those occasions.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders: Mentally Ill

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has received on antisocial behaviour orders imposed on children and young people with  (a) mental health problems and  (b) other special needs.

Vernon Coaker: We have received no such representations. We have regular discussions with interested parties including those that represent children's interests. For example we worked with a wide range of stakeholders on revising our guidance on antisocial behaviour orders for practitioners which includes information on vulnerable people who commit antisocial behaviour. We monitor the overall use of ASBOs on an ongoing basis and adjust policy in response. We will continue to build on that and extend existing ASBO legislation as appropriate. For example, we announced that we would be seeking to put on a statutory footing the existing good practice, as set out in our comprehensive guidance, that juveniles' ASBOs should be reviewed after one year.

Asylum Seekers

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for how many failed asylum seekers resident in the UK the Immigration Service does not have a valid current address.

Liam Byrne: As the Home Secretary set out in his evidence to the Home Affairs Select Committee on 23 May 2006, following the dismantling of embarkation controls beginning in 1994, no Government have been able to produce an accurate figure for the number of people who are in the country illegally, and that remains the case. On 7 March the Border and Immigration Agency published its enforcement strategy 'Enforcing the Rules' available to view at:
	http://www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/aboutus/ourplans/enforcementstrategy.
	This strategy sets out clear objectives and measures to tackle and identify, amongst others, those individuals who have been refused asylum and not removed and re-enforces the Border and Immigration Agency's commitment to ensuring and enforcing compliance with our immigrations laws.

Asylum Seekers

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what mechanisms are in place to reimburse local authorities for the cost of providing housing and other forms of support for asylum seekers who have exhausted all avenues of appeal waiting for deportation.

Liam Byrne: Asylum seekers whose claims are unsuccessful are required to leave the UK. However destitute unsuccessful asylum seeking families with minor dependants normally continue to receive support under section 95 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 from the Border and Immigration Agency. Other destitute unsuccessful asylum applicants who meet the eligibility criteria may be supported by the Agency under section 4 of the 1999 Act.
	Local authorities may in some circumstances have a responsibility to provide support, including accommodation, to unsuccessful asylum seekers under section 21 of the National Assistance Act 1948. Support may also be necessary under the Children Act 1989. This may include ongoing support for those leaving care. Eligibility for support under these provisions is subject to the application of the provisions of schedule 3 to the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002.
	Local authorities receive funding from central Government towards their revenue expenditure on social services and education. Local authorities also receive funding from DfES for those leaving care. There is no additional payment made in respect of failed asylum seekers.
	The Home Office has agreed to establish a working group to discuss a wide range of issues raised by local authorities in respect of asylum seekers and failed asylum seekers, including the costs of supporting those who are destitute but are not supported directly by the Home Office.

Asylum: Deportation

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many failed asylum seekers have been deported to countries which have not signed the UN Convention against Torture 1988 during the last 12 months, broken down by country.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 26 March 2007
	The table shows the number of principal asylum applicants removed from the UK in 2006 as a result of enforcement action, to countries which have not signed the UN Convention against Torture (1984). A number of countries have ratified the Convention, but have not formally signed it. Removals to these countries have been included in the table.
	Voluntary departures are included in figures on removals and therefore it is not possible to say at what stage in the asylum process people are removed, since those departing voluntarily can leave the UK at any time.
	The UK looks at all asylum claims, and claims relating to torture on their individual merits and with anxious scrutiny. We take into account the individual's circumstances, the circumstances in the country to which they would be removed and any other relevant information, including, where relevant, any undertakings given by that country. We would not return any individual to a country where it was considered that there was a real risk that he/she would be tortured or made to suffer inhuman or degrading treatment. The decision to remove anyone who claims to fear torture is subject to the right of appeal to the independent Asylum and Immigration Tribunal, or, where applicable, to the Special Immigration Appeals Commission, and from there to the higher courts.
	Published statistics on immigration and asylum are available on the Home Office's Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.
	
		
			  Removals and voluntary departures, excluding Assisted Voluntary Returns( 1,2) , of asylum applicants( 3) , excluding dependants, to countries who have not signed the UN Convention against Torture( 4) , in 2006( 5,10) 
			  Destination( 6)  2006 
			 Albania 955 
			 Macedonia 15 
			 Moldova 40 
			 Romania 240 
			 Serbia and Montenegro 655 
			 EU Accession States(7) 110 
			 Other Former USSR(8) 90 
			 Europe other(9) 65 
			 Europe total 2,160 
			 Jamaica 345 
			 Americas other(9) 20 
			 Americas total 365 
			 Angola 25 
			 Burundi 5 
			 Cameroon 25 
			 Congo 40 
			 Dem. Rep. Congo 80 
			 Eritrea * 
			 Ethiopia 50 
			 Ivory Coast 20 
			 Kenya 90 
			 Liberia 10 
			 Rwanda 5 
			 Somalia 10 
			 Tanzania 45 
			 Uganda 180 
			 Zimbabwe 45 
			 Africa other(9) 100 
			 Africa total 725 
			 Iran 145 
			 Iraq 65 
			 Libya 25 
			 Syria 35 
			 Middle East other(9) 165 
			 Middle East total 435 
			 Bangladesh 230 
			 Pakistan 750 
			 Sri Lanka 385 
			 Vietnam 95 
			 Asia other(9) 345 
			 Asia total 1,795 
			 Total principal applicants removed 5,485 
			 (1 )Includes enforced removals, persons departing 'Voluntarily' following enforcement action initiated against them and those who it is established have left the UK without informing the immigration authorities. (2 )Excludes Assisted Voluntary Returns. (3 )Persons who had sought asylum at some stage, excluding dependants. (4 )Some countries have ratified the CAT, but not signed it. These countries have been included in these figures. (5 )Figures rounded to the nearest five, with * = 1 or 2. (6 )Excludes persons where the recorded destination is unknown. (7 )Includes Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Slovakia and Slovenia. Excludes Cyprus, Hungary and Poland. (8 )Includes Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Krygyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Excludes Belarus. (9 )Includes only those countries who have not signed the CAT and not all other countries in the relevant continent. (10 )Provisional figures.

Asylum: English Language

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department is taking to assist asylum seekers who have no access to English language learning to manage everyday tasks.

Liam Byrne: The Border and Immigration Agency provides assistance, support and funding to asylum seekers throughout the asylum process. The application is managed by a single case owner who explains how the asylum process works, is responsible for any support issues, is the single point of contact at any stage during the claim, and who provides information about how to seek access to legal representatives. An interpreter will be provided, if required, at each key event—the screening interview, the first reporting event, the asylum interview and the decision service event.
	Key voluntary sector partners are funded by the Border and Immigration Agency to provide a national network of One Stop Services where provision of advice and support is given to asylum seekers, wherever possible in their own language. This is in addition to separate information, given in a language that is understood, which accommodation providers relay to asylum seekers about the property and the locality in which they live, and about how to access statutory and non-statutory services, including the voluntary sector.

Asylum: Expenditure

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent in the last 12 months on  (a) specialist support systems,  (b) appropriate (section 20) accommodation and support and  (c) culturally sensitive counselling services for (i) asylum-seeking children and (ii) asylum-seeking children who have had experiences of torture, political violence or been victims of trafficking and other forms of persecution.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 4 June 200 7
	 The Home Office does not collate expenditure for the different items listed and does not keep separate expenditure data for asylum-seeking children and asylum-seeking children who have had experiences of torture, political violence or who have been victims of trafficking and other forms of persecution.
	Dependent children within asylum-seeking families are provided with support in the form of accommodation and the payment of cash for subsistence.
	Responsibility for providing support to Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC) rests with local authorities which provide an appropriate range of services according to their assessment of the needs of individual children. The Border and Immigration Agency (BIA) reimburse local authorities for most of these costs through the UASC expenditure grant. In the financial year 2005-06, the most recent year for which audited accounts are available, the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) paid local authorities £151 million in UASC grants.

Asylum: Housing

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many accommodation centres have been set up under section 16 of the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 18 June 2007
	Section 16 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 provided for the establishment of accommodation centres. None have been established and we have no plans do so.

Bicycles: Theft

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how bicycle thefts were reported in each police authority in each of the last five years.

Tony McNulty: The available data relate to offences of theft of a pedal cycle recorded by the police and are given in the following table:
	
		
			  Offences of theft of a pedal cycle recorded by the police 
			  Number 
			   2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Avon and Somerset 3,555 3,090 3,043 3,713 4,131 
			 Bedfordshire 870 719 898 881 1,073 
			 British Transport Police(1) — 2,737 2,947 3,384 4,121 
			 Cambridgeshire 4,171 3,975 4,374 4,528 4,442 
			 Cheshire 1,666 1,551 1,746 1,565 1,731 
			 Cleveland 1,460 1,028 1,116 1,237 1,255 
			 Cumbria 691 606 802 850 866 
			 Derbyshire 1,505 1,301 1,358 1,131 1,156 
			 Devon and Cornwall 1,563 1,443 1,712 1,825 1,792 
			 Dorset 1,522 1,624 1,843 1,602 1,555 
			 Durham 867 726 827 815 802 
			 Dyfed-Powys 268 230 330 388 308 
			 Essex 2,299 2,100 2,462 2,775 2,875 
			 Gloucestershire 1,691 1,588 1,653 1,322 1,577 
			 Greater Manchester 5,007 4,598 4,220 4,198 4,731 
			 Gwent 557 632 624 570 600 
			 Hampshire 4,455 4,253 4,545 4,869 5,843 
			 Hertfordshire 1,339 1,397 1,484 1,656 1,767 
			 Humberside 4,330 3,736 3,777 3,195 3,281 
			 Kent 1,821 1,609 1,829 2,020 1,884 
			 Lancashire 2,702 2,505 2,525 2,594 2,694 
			 Leicestershire 2,132 1,754 1,869 1,879 1,893 
			 Lincolnshire 1,750 1,810 1,623 1,766 1,743 
			 London, City of 334 427 355 319 336 
			 Merseyside 1,678 1,445 1,569 1,673 1,726 
			 Metropolitan Police 14,340 15,812 19,261 19,317 21,238 
			 Norfolk 1,926 1,888 2,108 1,972 2,019 
			 Northamptonshire 1,146 1,053 1,157 1,318 1,152 
			 Northumbria 2,468 2,387 2,644 2,405 2,362 
			 North Wales 896 850 783 773 618 
			 North Yorkshire 2,442 2,331 2,563 1,989 2,049 
			 Nottinghamshire 3,555 2,608 2,744 2,599 2,876 
			 South Wales 1,951 1,717 1,822 1,978 1,762 
			 South Yorkshire 1,891 1,787 1,346 1,421 1,725 
			 Staffordshire 1,667 1,235 1,285 1,232 1,270 
			 Suffolk 1,728 1,439 1,457 1,653 1,828 
			 Surrey 1,301 1,085 1,297 1,331 1,463 
			 Sussex 2,959 2,329 2,683 2,811 3,165 
			 Thames Valley 5,346 5,264 5,547 5,879 5,994 
			 Warwickshire 1,060 1,001 1,076 878 1,005 
			 West Mercia 1,903 1,484 1,559 1,596 1,592 
			 West Midlands 4,004 3,301 3,229 2,908 3,132 
			 West Yorkshire 2,673 2,250 2,374 2,175 2,521 
			 Wiltshire 1,224 1,050 1,001 1,074 1,253 
			 England and Wales 102,713 97,755 105,467 106,064 113,206 
			 (1) British Transport Police data have been included in the England and Wales totals from 2002-03.

Borders and Immigration Agency: Correspondence

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what average time was taken for the transfer of files between the Borders and Immigration Agency casework unit and correspondence unit in the last 12 months.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

British Nationality: Applications

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been made to retake the Knowledge of Life in the UK test due to test centres not administering the test correctly.

John Reid: The information requested could be obtained only by detailed examination of individual case records at disproportionate cost.

British Nationality: Assessments

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 12 April 2007, Question 130039, on the Life in the UK test, what the average test results were of  (a) the British citizens participating in the test pilot and  (b) the pilot group as a whole.

John Reid: The Department used an independent contractor, Ufi, to conduct the pilot tests. Ufi have indicated that in respect of the pilot group as a whole, 73 per cent. of the 245 candidates who completed pilot tests achieved a pass.
	In seeking to establish the information requested on the average test results for British citizens, I can also provide further clarification to the hon. Gentleman about the figure of 25 per cent. given for British citizens participating in the pilot test given in my previous answer of 16 April 2007,  Official Report, column 470W. This figure of 25 per cent. referred to a benchmark figure of how many native speakers of English (of which British Citizens could be included) the Department asked Ufi to take part in the pilot scheme and not the nationality of participants.
	Although the information collected cannot be broken down by nationality, this does not affect the usefulness of the pilot to developing the test proper. The test is not designed to compare whether citizens and non-citizens are achieving similar results and nor was the pilot conducted in that spirit.

British Nationality: Eligibility

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what offences and behaviours are considered to be not conducive to the public good, leading to deprivation of citizenship under section 56 of the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 18 June 2007
	As was explained to Parliament during passage of the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Bill, deprivation of citizenship might be considered appropriate in cases involving national security (including espionage), war crimes; serious and organised crime; and unacceptable behaviours such as glorification of terrorism.

British Nationality: Eligibility

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been deprived of citizenship under section 56 of the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 18 June 2007
	None so far. One person has been deprived and one case is in train under the powers which preceded section 56.

British Nationality: Eligibility

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been given penalties under section 15 of the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 18 June 2007
	Section 15 of the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006, which replaces section 8 of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996, has yet to be commenced. This part of the Act is currently the subject of a public consultation which was launched on 15 May 2007. Following this, and subject to the responses, the proposals are due to be implemented by the end of this year.

Crime: Firearms

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) confiscations of firearms and  (b) convictions for the illegal possession of firearms there were in each police authority area in each of the last eight years.

Vernon Coaker: On  (a), this data is not collected centrally.
	On  (b), data from the court proceedings database held by the Ministry of Justice, showing the number of defendants convicted at all courts for possessing or distributing prohibited weapons or ammunition in England and Wales, broken down by police force area and for the years between 1998 to 2005, is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of defendants convicted at all courts for possessing or distributing prohibited weapons or ammunition in England and Wales, broken down by police force area and for the years between 1998 and 2005( 1,2,3,4) 
			  Force  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 Avon and Somerset 32 6 9 27 15 20 18 25 
			 Bedfordshire 8 2 2 5 10 9 7 6 
			 Cambridgeshire 17 8 9 1 5 12 4 3 
			 Cheshire 5 8 4 5 6 4 20 11 
			 City of London 4 1 1 0 4 2 5 0 
			 Cleveland 12 7 8 5 6 11 11 13 
			 Cumbria 7 2 4 4 1 4 8 8 
			 Derbyshire 6 13 12 5 14 6 15 17 
			 Devon and Cornwall 13 10 8 10 13 16 15 12 
			 Dorset 2 2 4 7 5 8 7 8 
			 Durham 6 9 9 6 5 12 11 14 
			 Essex 37 22 22 15 25 18 29 22 
			 Gloucestershire 6 5 6 5 3 9 6 6 
			 Greater Manchester 100 57 55 57 51 55 115 108 
			 Hampshire 18 18 15 9 21 16 15 28 
			 Hertfordshire 9 8 8 10 5 5 16 23 
			 Humberside 5 5 7 8 9 9 14 17 
			 Kent 20 11 22 29 18 22 18 11 
			 Lancashire 32 12 19 17 11 15 22 27 
			 Leicestershire 29 15 26 20 13 16 17 17 
			 Lincolnshire 6 10 13 4 2 5 6 6 
			 Merseyside 31 20 14 18 19 25 54 68 
			 Metropolitan Police 270 221 173 224 257 297 268 302 
			 Norfolk 8 7 6 4 5 2 12 9 
			 North Yorkshire 11 7 7 3 1 6 3 3 
			 Northamptonshire 6 11 4 4 5 4 4 7 
			 Northumbria 43 43 32 40 26 45 38 38 
			 Nottinghamshire 20 12 16 16 12 28 23 27 
			 South Yorkshire 24 22 19 11 17 21 23 27 
			 Staffordshire 8 7 0 6 16 8 15 13 
			 Suffolk 2 4 8 5 4 7 7 6 
			 Surrey 5 4 7 7 8 6 7 4 
			 Sussex 10 8 4 11 9 14 18 21 
			 Thames Valley 30 23 15 11 16 20 24 22 
			 Warwickshire 5 5 4 3 7 4 7 6 
			 West Mercia 6 11 5 7 7 5 11 6 
			 West Midlands 92 87 74 71 79 66 72 69 
			 West Yorkshire 72 55 36 33 38 33 52 51 
			 Wiltshire 7 5 6 8 6 4 6 10 
			 Dyfed-Powys 5 2 7 3 3 5 4 4 
			 Gwent 2 4 8 5 4 4 6 4 
			 North Wales 4 7 1 1 3 3 7 5 
			 South Wales 9 16 11 17 11 18 21 24 
			 Total 1,044 812 720 757 795 899 1,061 1,108 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Includes the following statutes and offences: Firearms Act, 1968 Sec 5(1) (Group I) as amended by Criminal Justice Act 2003 S.288 Possessing or distributing prohibited weapons or ammunition. Firearms Act 1968 Sec 5(1)(b) (Group I) as amended by Criminal Justice Act 2003 Sec. 288 Possessing or distributing prohibited weapons designed for discharge of noxious liquid etc. Firearms Act 1968 Sec 5(1A)(a) (Group I) as amended by Criminal Justice Act 2003 Sec. 288 Possessing or distributing firearm disguised as other object Firearms Act 1968 Sec 5(1A)(b),(c),(d),(e),(f) or (g) as amended by Criminal Justice Act 2003 Sec. 288 Possessing or distributing other prohibited weapons (4) Staffordshire police force were only able to submit sample data for persons proceeded against and convicted in the magistrates courts for the year 2000. Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data, these data are not robust enough at a detailed level and have been excluded from the table. Our ref: IOS 239-07  Source:  RDS Office for Criminal Justice Reform

Crimes of Violence: West Mercia Police

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of so-called honour  (a) attempted murders,  (b) other acts of violence and  (c) forced imprisonment have been reported to his Department by the West Mercia Police in the last 12 months.

Vernon Coaker: In terms of the recorded crime statistics, there is no requirement for any police force to notify the Home Office of 'honour' crimes. It is the offence as defined by law which will be recorded by the police and reported to the Home Office e.g. serious wounding, common assault, etc. Details of the circumstances for individual offences are not collected centrally.

Deepcut Barracks

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  when he was informed that Devon and Cornwall police were of the view that Surrey police should have held a murder inquiry only into the deaths at Deepcut Army Barracks; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will request that a murder inquiry be opened into the deaths of Army recruits at Deepcut Barracks; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  if he will require the publication of the report by Devon and Cornwall police into Surrey police's handling of the investigations of the deaths at Deepcut Army Barracks; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The report by Devon and Cornwall police was prepared at the request of the chief constable of Surrey police. It is for the chief constable to decide whether to publish the report.
	The decision on whether to treat an incident as a possible criminal matter is an operational issue for the police and Ministers have no role in the decision making process.

Departments: Aviation

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many flights to overseas destinations were taken by  (a) civil servants and  (b) Ministers in his Department in each of the last three calendar years; and what the total cost of such flights were.

Liam Byrne: This information can be provided only at disproportionate cost. Since 1999, the Government have published on an annual basis, a list of all overseas visits by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of 500, as well as the total cost of all ministerial travel overseas. Copies of the lists are available in the Libraries of the House. Information for 2006-07 is currently being compiled and will be published before the summer recess. All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Civil Service Management Code, the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers.

Departments: DVD

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which DVDs have been produced by his Department in the last 12 months; how many copies of such DVDs were produced; and what the cost to the public purse was of the  (a) development,  (b) production and  (c) distribution of each DVD.

Liam Byrne: DVDs are one of a wide range of communication approaches used by the Department. They are only produced if considered the most appropriate vehicle for communicating a particular message or range of information to the audience.
	Information on the number of DVDs produced by the Department is not held centrally.

Departments: Energy

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many energy saving light bulbs were purchased by his Department for use on the departmental estate in  (a) 2005 and  (b) 2006.

Liam Byrne: Home Office policy on the procurement of energy saving light bulbs is to meet the minimum environmental standards outlined in the guidance provided in the Office for Government Commerce Buying Solutions' 'Quick Wins 2007' framework. There is no requirement to monitor the number of energy saving light bulbs purchased. This information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Home Working

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people in his Department have been allowed to work from home for part of the week in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement on his Department's policy on home working.

Liam Byrne: Information about the number of individuals working from home is not collated centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	Home working is one of the flexible working options available to Home Office staff, but there is no entitlement to it. All members of staff are able to apply to work flexibly, including working at home. Applications are subject to local management agreement, based on a number of factors including the particular circumstances of the request and the business and operational needs of the department.

Departments: ICT

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the  (a) originally estimated,  (b) most recently estimated and  (c) outturn cost was of each of the five largest information technology contracts agreed by his Department with outside suppliers over the last five years.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is provided in the following table:
	
		
			   million 
			  Business a rea  Contract  O riginal estimate of cost  Most  recent estimate of cost  Outturn  C ost 
			 NOMS OMNI (Steria) 250 250 (1)250 
			 IND TBC (Atos Origin) 200 200 (1)200 
			 IND Mycroft (SERCO) 42 42 (1)42 
			 IND Semaphore (IBM)(2) 30 37.16 45.7 
			 Corporate Services EDRM (CapGemini/Sirius) 16.5 16.8 8.9 
			 (1) Forecast.  (2) The approved budget for Semaphore was increased in March 2006 in response to terrorist attacks in the UK in July 2005, and to the requirement from the Home Secretary to extend e-Borders data capability.

Departments: Manpower

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were employed in his Department in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Liam Byrne: The Information requested is contained in the Home Office Annual Report(s) 2006-07 and 2004-05 respectively which are available in the Library of the House and on line at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/annual-report-06.pdf?view=Binary (Page 119)
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/annual-report-0405/annrep2005-0-complete?view=Binary (Page 131)
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/annrep2003.pdf?version=1 (Page 174)

Departments: Marketing

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what promotional items bearing his Department's name or logo or other branding have been procured in each of the last five years; at what cost, broken down by item; and how many units of each item were purchased over that period.

Liam Byrne: There is no central record of procured promotional items bearing the Department's name or logo or other branding. To manually examine files across all areas of the Department for specific procured items in each of the last five years would incur disproportionate cost, however, the total expenditure for promotional material for the financial year 2006-07 was 110,000 and for 2005-06 101,000. Expenditure information for these two years is available following the implementation of the Department's Adelphi Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system Accounts Payable Module.

Departments: Official Cars

Si�n Simon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what make and model of car  (a) he and  (b) each Minister in his Department selected as their official ministerial car; and what criteria were used when making the decision in each case.

Liam Byrne: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to the hon. Member for South Thanet (Dr. Ladyman) on 14 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1269W.

Departments: Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the current rate of employer contribution is to each public sector pension scheme for which his Department has responsibility; what the revenue impact would be of capping the employer contribution to each such scheme at 14 per cent. and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The Home Office has policy responsibility for police pensions. The employer contribution rate is 24.6 per cent. of an officer's pensionable pay. This rate is common to members of the 1987 Police Pension Scheme and the 2006 Police Pension Scheme and applies across all forces and ranks.
	It would involve disproportionate costs to calculate the complex effects of capping the employer contribution rate at 14 per cent.

Departments: Public Participation

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many public consultations his Department has undertaken in the last 12 months; and what the cost was of each consultation.

Liam Byrne: Over the 12 months to end May 2007, the Home Office launched 20 formal public consultations in order to inform the Department's policy development. Information on the cost of each consultation and the total cost of all consultations could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Public Relations

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  much was spent by his Department on public relations in each of the last five years;
	(2)  which  (a) advertising agencies and  (b) other organisations supplied consultancy services for advertising campaigns for (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies in each of the last five years; and what the cost of these services was.

Liam Byrne: The Home Office uses the Central Office of Information's (COI) framework of agencies to work on advertising campaigns.
	Under the terms of the COI framework agreements, advertising agencies are contracted to supply advertising services only, i.e., creative products based on a communications strategy. Advertising agencies on COI's roster do not supply broader consultancy services. On occasion wider ranging consultancy projects may inform campaign work but the costs would not be attributed to the campaign.
	The amount spent on PR to support individual campaigns and ensure broader reach of our target audiences is in the following table.
	
		
			  Amount spent on PR to support individual campaigns and ensure broader reach of our target audiences 
			   
			  2002-03  
			 Drugs Misuse 79,219 
			 Criminal Justice 36,900 
			 Mobile Phone Safety 44,190 
			 Child Protection on the Internet 97,175 
			   
			  2003-04  
			 Holocaust Memorial Day 44,142 
			 Security Industry Authority 150,573 
			 Domestic Violence 75,000 
			 Sexual Offences Act 56,465 
			 Citizenship 650,729 
			   
			  2004-05  
			 Mobile Phone Safety 44,190 
			 Acquisitive Crime Reduction 260,373.99 
			 Anti Social Behaviour 646,570 
			 Sexual Offences Act 128,359 
			 Criminal Justice 982,410 
			 Domestic Violence 75,000 
			 Year of the Volunteer 210,789.95 
			 PoliceHigh Potential Development 62,760 
			 Alcohol and Violent Crime 501,692 
			 Drugs 71,239 
			 Communities 18,412 
			 Familial Homicide 4,940 
			 Holocaust Memorial Day 30,586 
			   
			  2005-06  
			 Antisocial Behaviour 363,040 
			 Criminal Justice 265,780 
			 Year of the Volunteer 74,027 
			 PoliceHigh Potential Development 41,400 
			 Community Support Officers Recruitment 2,380 
			 Tackling Violent Crime 156,620 
			 Drugs 474,386 
			  2006-07  
			 Criminal Justice 174,473 
			 Community Sentences 193,181 
			 Drugs 374,666 
			 Single Non Emergency Number Pilots 29,186 
			 Community Support Officers Recruitment 113,511 
			 PoliceHigh Potential Development 28,716 
			 Respect 61,568

Departments: Recruitment

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much his Department and its agencies paid to recruitment consultants in each year since 1997.

Liam Byrne: The Department maintains records of expenditure on agency and temporary staff. It does not maintain separate records of fees paid to recruitment agencies. To provide such detailed information could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Research

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his Department's expenditure on communications research was in each year since 1997-98; and how much of this cost was accounted for by producing  (a) reports on the public perceptions of his Department or its agencies,  (b) stakeholder surveys,  (c) national media evaluations,  (d) regional media evaluations and  (e) other research.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is given the table.
	For the years for which consistent records are available, expenditure on communications research is as follows:
	
		
			   
			   2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Public perception  33,723.00 84,298.00 224,843.00 273,121.00 225,276.00 
			 Stakeholder 8,510.00 337,307.99 384,727.67 306,134.61 244,900.00 111,980.00 
			 National media74,680.00 176,348.65 306,726.33 
			 Regional media   
			 Other 1,018,283.49 1,002,007.08 1,674,796.81 1,598,866.33 1,395,833.93 1,726,880.41 
			 Total 1,026,793.49 1,373,038.07 2,143,822.48 2,204,523.94 2,090,203.58 2,370,862.74

Departments: Work Permits

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many work permits were applied for by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies in each of the last five years.

John Reid: The following table shows the number of applications for a 'Work Permit' where the employer was recorded as either 'The Home Office' or one of its agencies, namely: the Criminal Records Bureau, the Identity and Passport Service and HM Prison Service. It is not viable to identify any applications where the employer name was not recorded in this way.
	The figures do not include applications from Independent Inspectorates and Ombudsmen or non-departmental public bodies.
	The figures quoted are not provided under National Statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change.
	
		
			  Work Permit applications 
			   Home Office  Home Office agencies 
			 2002 2 22 
			 2003 5 24 
			 2004 1 16 
			 2005 0 11 
			 2006 4 9

Deportation: Afghanistan

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people whose asylum claims have failed are awaiting deportation to Afghanistan.

Liam Byrne: As the Home Secretary set out in his evidence to the Home Affairs Select Committee on 23 May 2006, following the dismantling of embarkation controls beginning in 1994, no Government have been able to produce an accurate figure for the number of people who are in the country illegally, and that remains the case. The Home Secretary has set a clear goal of reintroducing systems to count everyone in and out of Britain.

Detainees

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department embassy officials from which countries have met asylum seekers detained in the UK in the last 12 months.

John Reid: Certain countries have specific arrangements with the Border and Immigration Agency to interview individuals, for the purpose of agreeing to issue an Emergency Travel Document if nationality cannot be confirmed by other means. We do hold the information requested but agreements between the Home Office and other countries are sensitive and disclosure could damage our relationship with the country concerned, our relations with other states and prejudice our ability to operate an efficient removals system.
	Countries where return is facilitated by documents other than an Emergency Travel Document may also request an interview to establish nationality. Data is not centrally collated on these cases and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Detainees: Correspondence

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in what circumstances correspondence between hon. and right hon. Members and detainees is opened by staff in immigration removal centres before it reaches recipients; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: Correspondence between hon. and right hon. Members and detainees is not opened by staff in Immigration Removal Centres.
	A situation may arise where the centre manager has reasonable cause to believe that the contents of an envelope may endanger the security of the centre or the safety of others. Under these circumstances the envelope may be opened in front of the detainee.

EC Accession

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will write to the hon. Member for Glasgow South West, as referred to in the answer of 8 November 2006,  Official Report, column 1646W, on accession countries.

Liam Byrne: I wrote to the hon. Member on 21 June 2007.

Edward Chininga

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department by what mechanisms Edward Chininga was permitted to transit via Gatwick; whether officials were aware of his position on the EU no fly list for selected Zimbabwean nationals; at what point Ministers were made aware of his transiting; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: I shall write separately to the hon. Member.

Entry Clearances

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what consideration is given to service in the UK armed forces by non-UK nationals when deciding who is eligible to reside in the UK;
	(2)  under what criteria non-UK nationals can legally  (a) reside and  (b) work in the UK;
	(3)  what criteria are used to measure whether an individual has strong ties with the UK when considering whether or not to allow that person to reside in the UK.

John Reid: The rules applying to applications for indefinite leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom by foreign and Commonwealth nationals discharged from HM Forces and by former Gurkhas who completed their service on or after 1 July 1997 are set out in paragraphs 276E to 276Q of the Immigration Rules. They include the requirement for a minimum of four years' service to have been completed prior to discharge. I would refer the hon. Member to the relevant policy contained on the Border and Immigration Agency website at:
	http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/lawandpolicy/immigrationrules/part7
	Discretion may be exercised for former members of HM Forces discharged from service before 1 July 1997 or discharged more than two years prior to the date of application where there are strong reasons why settlement in the UK is appropriate. In such cases there is the same requirement for a minimum of four years' service to have been completed prior to discharge. The relevant guidance is contained in Chapter 15, Section 2A of the Immigration Directorate Instructions at:
	http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/idischapter15/

Entry Clearances

Peter Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many work permits were issued in each year since 2000; and how many of them were for  (a) nurses,  (b) doctors,  (c) lecturers and  (d) teachers for overseas nationals from (i) Africa, (ii) Asia, (iii) South America and (iv) the Caribbean.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 19 June 2007
	The following table shows the number of work permit applications which were approved for overseas nationals, in the period 1 January 2000 to 31 May 2007 from  (a) Africa,  (b) Asia  (c) South America and  (d) The Caribbean.
	The figures quoted are not provided under National Statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change.
	
		
			   Doctor  Lecturer  Nurse  Teacher  Total 
			  2000  
			 Africa (1) 50 4,850 340 5,240 
			 Asia (1) 160 8,110 80 8,345 
			 South America (1) 15 35 5 60 
			 Caribbean (1) 5 815 20 835 
			 Total (1) 230 13,810 445 14,480 
			   
			  2001  
			 Africa 270 65 7,760 2,485 10,580 
			 Asia 485 155 14,110 285 15,035 
			 South America (2) 15 85 40 145 
			 Caribbean 15 5 790 460 1,270 
			 Total 770 240 22,745 8,265 27,025 
			   
			  2002  
			 Africa 1,070 80 10,275 3,380 14,805 
			 Asia 1,130 210 16,045 535 17,920 
			 South America 5 30 130 65 230 
			 Caribbean 55 5 760 620 1,440 
			 Total 2,260 325 27,210 4,600 34,395 
			  2003  
			 Africa 920 80 10,090 2,265 13,355 
			 Asia 2,020 295 17,375 370 20,060 
			 South America 5 30 170 50 250 
			 Caribbean 50 5 580 595 1,235 
			 Total 2,995 410 28,220 3,280 34,900 
			   
			  2004  
			 Africa 840 105 9,985 1,680 12,615 
			 Asia 3,060 265 17,265 390 20,980 
			 South America 5 30 310 35 380 
			 Caribbean 65 10 570 420 1,060 
			 Total 3,965 410 28,135 2,530 35,035 
			   
			  2005  
			 Africa 590 110 7,840 1,425 9,965 
			 Asia 2,920 290 13,235 370 16,810 
			 South America 5 35 235 60 340 
			 Caribbean 50 10 530 350 940 
			 Total 3,585 45 21,840 2,200 28,950 
			   
			  2006  
			 Africa 520 80 4,585 1,225 6,410 
			 Asia 2,140 340 8,010 390 10,885 
			 South America 5 30 185 40 260 
			 Caribbean 40 10 305 310 665 
			 Total 2,705 460 13,085 1,970 18,220 
			   
			  January to May 2007  
			 Africa 95 30 1,190 375 1,690 
			 Asia 275 115 2,125 130 2,645 
			 South America (2) 10 35 70 55 
			 Caribbean 5 5 90 95 190 
			 Total 380 165 3,440 610 4,585 
			   
			  Grand total  
			 Africa 74,660 
			 Asia 112,680 
			 South America 1,720 
			 Caribbean 7,650 
			 Total 196,685 
			 (1) Indicates 1 or 2. (2) Indicates nil.  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to nearest 5. 2. Because of rounding, figures may not add up to totals shown.

Entry Clearances: Domestic Service

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he plans to end the domestic worker visa programme; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: Under the points-based system, there will not be a separate route for overseas domestic workers in private households.
	We intend, however, to make provision for domestic assistants under revised arrangements for business visitors, in the latter part of next year. Before doing so, we are undertaking some research to better understand the ways in which victims of trafficking and exploitation entered the UK, especially to understand the risks associated with those entering as domestic workers. On the back of this research we will consult publicly on the business visitor arrangements and the safeguards around them.

Fixated Threat Assessment Centre

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what criteria the Fixated Threat Assessment Centre use to decide whom to investigate;
	(2)  how many people have been  (a) detained,  (b) sectioned and  (c) investigated by the Fixated Threat Assessment Centre;
	(3)  what the  (a) names and  (b) job descriptions are of the employees of the Fixated Threat Assessment Centre;
	(4)  who authorised the establishment of the Fixated Threat Assessment Centre.

Tony McNulty: holding answer s  15 June 2007
	The Fixated Threat Assessment Centre (FTAC) was established in order to better protect the public and vulnerable individuals in response to evidence that a significant proportion of people who engage in bizarre communications or contact with prominent people in public life are severely and acutely mentally ill and urgently need professional help. A small but significant number of such individuals can pose a risk to the public, the prominent person, and themselves, particularly in environments where there are armed police officers. The Home Office, the Department of Health and the Metropolitan Police Service agreed to establish a joint police/mental health unit, on a pilot basis, to assess and manage the risk posed by such individuals. Where appropriate, FTAC will introduce (or reintroduce) the individuals into existing community mental health care through established pathways. If offences are disclosed, and the circumstances warrant such intervention, consideration will also be given to a criminal investigation.
	Since its creation in October 2006, FTAC has dealt with 168 cases. FTAC does not detain people in psychiatric hospitals. When it encounters an individual in need of mental health care it alerts their general practitioners and psychiatrists, who then provide appropriate help under existing legislation. FTAC may make use of police powers under section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983 to take a person who appears to be suffering from mental disorder, and in immediate need of care or control, to a place of safety. When people are removed to hospital under section 136, they are examined by a registered medical practitioner and interviewed by an approved social worker, not associated with FTAC, in order to make any necessary arrangements for their treatment or care. To date, FTAC personnel have used this power on nine occasions.
	The remainder of the information sought by the hon. Gentleman relates to operational matters which are the responsibility of the Metropolitan Police Service. I have asked the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service to write to the hon. Gentleman to provide him with this information.

Fixated Threat Assessment Centre

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many individuals have been detained by the Fixed Threat Assessment Centre since its inception, broken down by  (a) gender and  (b) ethnic origin; what the (i) average and (ii) maximum length of detention has been; and how many are currently detained;
	(2)  what safeguards are in place to ensure that individuals detained as a result of actions by the Fixed Threat Assessment Centre are only detained under the appropriate legislation;
	(3)  what reasons underlay the decision to establish the Fixed Threat Assessment Centre; who decided it should be established; how many  (a) police officers, broken down by rank,  (b) psychiatrists and  (c) psychologists are assigned to the centre; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: holding answer s 11 June 2007
	 The Fixated Threat Assessment Centre (FTAC) was established in order to better protect the public and vulnerable individuals in response to evidence that a significant proportion of people who engage in bizarre communications or contact with prominent people in public life are severely and acutely mentally ill and urgently need professional help. A small but significant number of such individuals can pose a risk to the public, the prominent person and themselves, particularly in environments where there are armed police officers. The Home Office, the Department of Health and the Metropolitan Police Service agreed to establish a joint police/mental health unit, on a pilot basis, to assess and manage the risk posed by such individuals. Where appropriate, FTAC will introduce (or re-introduce) the individuals into existing community mental health care through established pathways. If offences are disclosed, and the circumstances warrant such intervention, consideration will also be given to a criminal investigation.
	FTAC is comprised of nine police officers (one chief inspector, one inspector, one sergeant and six police constables) and five mental health professionals (three full-time community psychiatric nurses, a half-time forensic psychiatrist and a half-time forensic psychologist).
	FTAC does not detain people in psychiatric hospitals. When it encounters an individual in need of mental health care it alerts their general practitioners and psychiatrists, who then provide appropriate help under existing legislation. FTAC may make use of police powers under section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983 to take a person who appears to be suffering from mental disorder, and in immediate need of care or control, to a place of safety. When people are removed to hospital under section 136, they are examined by a registered medical practitioner and interviewed by an approved social worker, not associated with FTAC, in order to make any necessary arrangements for their treatment or care. To date, FTAC personnel have used this power on nine occasions (comprising six white, north European males, one white, south European male, two white, north European females).

Foreigners: Health Services

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures are in place to ensure that visitors to the UK from  (a) inside and  (b) outside the EU have health insurance for the duration of their stay.

Liam Byrne: Visitors from the EU, other EEA countries and Switzerland are covered by EU regulations whereby member states reimburse each other for medical treatment for which the need arises during a visit to another member state. In addition, the UK has similar bilateral healthcare arrangements with a number of non-EEA countries.
	Overseas visitors not covered by these arrangements are not entitled to free NHS hospital treatment unless they or the treatment received are exempt from charges under the provisions of the NHS regulations. Overseas visitors managers in hospitals check a patient's eligibility for free treatment and apply charges if appropriate.
	People who are not entitled to free treatment are therefore advised to take out appropriate health insurance before visiting the UK but this is not compulsory. However, if an immigration officer has reason to believe that a passenger is seeking entry with the intention of seeking NHS treatment to which he or she is not entitled, entry may be refused.
	The cross-Government strategy Enforcing the Rules: a strategy to ensure and enforce compliance with our immigration laws published on 7 March commits to reviewing the rules on access to the NHS by foreign nationals, and to running a pilot in three NHS trusts with a view to improving the collection of revenue from those who are not entitled to free treatment.

Gurkhas

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on Government policy on UK residency for former Gurkhas.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 7 June 2007
	The rules applying to applications for indefinite leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom by former Gurkhas who completed their service on or after 1 July 1997 are set out in paragraphs 276E to 276K of the Immigration Rules. I would refer the hon. Gentleman to the relevant policy contained on the Border and Immigration Agency website at:
	http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/lawandpolicy/immigrationrules/part7
	Discretion may be exercised for Gurkhas discharged from service before 1 July 1997, and who are not covered by the Immigration Rules, where there are strong reasons why settlement in the UK is appropriate. This guidance is contained in Chapter 15, Section 2A of the Immigration Directorate Instructions at:
	http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/idischapter15/

Highly Skilled Migrant Programme

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of abuse of the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme he identified prior to the changes to the Programme.

John Reid: The reason for recent changes to the new verification policy in the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme is to strengthen the grounds on which we can refuse applications where there is a strong case to indicate that they are not genuine. The new Immigration Rules provide the Border and Immigration Agency with the legal basis to refuse applications under the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme to tackle particular instances of abuse. Namely, they allow us to:
	Refuse an application if a non-genuine document has been submitted including in circumstances where that document was not material to the outcome of the application.
	Refuse an application if we have reasonable doubts about a document and our verification checks have not been able to show whether or not the document is genuine.
	We have still been able to refuse most applications in the past where forged documents were submitted.
	HSMP has been a robust scheme, but we are tightening it up even further in line with our aim of cutting down on abuse within the migration system.

Identity Cards

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 27 November 2006,  Official Report, columns 390-2W, on identity cards, what the value was of each contract; what other contracts his Department has signed with external organisations on the  (a) identity cards project and  (b) National Identity Register; and what the value was of each additional contract.

John Reid: The following table details the external organisations to which the Home Office Identity Cards Programme let contracts or made payments between the financial years 2004-05 and 2005-06.
	
		
			   
			  Company  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Sirius consortium (Fujitsu Services Ltd and Global Crossing Ltd and PWC) 184,000  
			 SchlumbergerSema (Atos Origin) 56,000  
			 Atos Origin IT Services UK Ltd 1,079,000  
			 Shreeveport Management Consultancy 43,000  
			 Axon Group Plc 29,000  
			 Cornwell Management Consultants plc 48,000  
			 PA Consulting (and within this contract, Electronic Commerce Associates Ltd.) 7,710,000 20,690,000 
			 CESG Communications Electronic Security Group 7,000 133,000 
			 Partnerships UK 24,000 69,000 
			 Field Fisher Waterhouse 309,000 862,000 
			 Office of Government Commerce 12,000  
			 Interleader Ltd  2,000 
			 Veredus London  135,000 
			 The Metropolitan Police  35,000 
			 KPMG  90,000 
			 Ernst and Young  111,000 
			 Sigma  37,000 
			 Abbey Consulting  4,000 
			 Whitehead Mann Ltd  17,000 
			 Alan Hughes  16,000 
			 Excel Recruitment  20,000 
		
	
	Since the merger of the Home Office Identity Cards Programme and the UK Passport Service to create the Identity and Passport Service on 1 April 2006, projects to deliver biometric passports, identity cards and other improvements have been necessarily combined. As much of the functionality needed to implement identity cards is also required for the implementation of biometric passports, this is the most cost-effective way to deliver these initiatives (e.g. both the implementation of biometric passports and identity cards will require a very similar application procedure as well the procurement of biometric recording equipment, data storage capability for biographical and biometric information and offices to facilitate enrolment).
	As a result, much of the work conducted by Identity and Passport Service cannot be categorised, both financially and operationally, as contributing towards either the introduction of biometric passports or identity cards alone. The work is accounted for as future development projects.
	Equally, contracts with external organisations are signed on the basis of providing services to project or activities which can apply to both existing passport operational business as well as the future development of biometric passports, identity cards and future improvements. As a result, a breakdown of payments made to such organisations for the purposes of the development of identity cards or the National Identity Register in the financial year 2006-07 cannot be provided.
	However, the following provides a list of external organisations from which the Identity and Passport Service has obtained either consulting services and/or contracted staff in the financial year 2006-07 and the level of payment which has been attributed to the future development of both biometric passports, identity cards and associated improvements in that financial year. The list excludes payments attributed to organisations providing legal and professional services.
	Even without the introduction of identity cards, a significant proportion of this expenditure would have been required in order to prepare for the introduction of second biometric passports. Overall, it is estimated that around 70 per cent. of the total cost of the scheme would need to be incurred in order to introduce the second biometric passport incorporating fingerprint biometrics.
	 Between 5 million and 10 million:
	PA Consulting Group
	 Between 1 million and 5 million:
	Capita Resourcing
	 Between 500,000 and 1 million:
	Parity Resources
	Glotel Technology Working
	 Between 50,000 and 500,000:
	Adecco UK Ltd
	Allen Lane
	ASE Consulting Ltd
	Capita Interim Management
	CESG (Communications Electronics Security Group)
	Chamberlain Beaumont
	Computer People
	Crystal UK Ltd
	Elan Computing Ltd
	Electronic Computer Associates (novated from PA Consulting contract)
	Hays Accounting
	Hedra Ltd
	Hudson Global Resources Ltd
	Kelly Services
	KPMG
	Logica CMC
	Methods Consulting
	Montpelier Contracting and Consulting
	Northern Recruitment Group plc
	OGC Accounting Service
	Pendragon Information Systems
	Real-Time Consultants plc
	Ruillion Computer
	Sand Resources
	Search Total Recruitment Solutions
	Security Printing Systems Ltd
	Shreeveport Ltd
	Spring Technology
	TAG TPS Ltd
	The Nesco Group
	Veredus
	 Under 50,000:
	Alan Hughes
	Angela Mortimer plc
	Anite Public Sector
	Atos Origin IT Services Ltd
	Beamans Ltd
	British Print Industries Federation
	Brook Street
	Buchanan and Darby Associates
	Business in the Community
	Callcredit plc
	CE Williams
	Central Office of Information
	Centre for Accessibility
	Diane Bailey Associates
	Donaldson's
	Drivers Jonas
	ER Consultants
	Equifax Ltd
	Excel Recruitment
	Home Office Cashiers
	Ian Farrand HR Management Consultants
	Ideas UK
	Identix Ltd
	Immediate Interns
	Insight Consulting
	Josephine Sammons Ltd
	Kingston Communications plc.
	Lambert Smith Hampton
	Manpower UK Ltd
	Michael Page UK Ltd
	Minority Matters Recruitment
	McCrindle Associates Ltd
	OCS
	Officeforce Ltd
	Parity Training Ltd
	Partnerships UK
	Plain English Campaign
	PicnicBox
	Procurement Services Ltd
	QDOS Computer Consultants
	Q1 Consulting
	Reed Accounting Personnel
	Resource Analysts Ltd
	RNA Ltd
	Robert Walters
	Security Services Group
	SGS UK Ltd
	Siemens Business Services
	Sigma
	St. John's Ambulance Services
	Step Ahead
	Streamline Financial Solutions
	Telelogic UK Ltd
	TK Cobley
	The Whelan Partnership
	The Whitehall and Industry Group
	Turner and Townsend Project Management Ltd
	White Young
	Yale Data Management Consultant Ltd

Identity Cards

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 21 March 2007,  Official Report, column 970W, on identity cards, what estimate he has made of each strand of the national identity project that are  (a) required and  (b) not required for biometric passports.

John Reid: Since the merger of the Home Office Identity Cards Programme and the UK Passport Service to create the Identity and Passport Service on 1 April 2006, projects to deliver biometric passports, identity cards and other improvements have been necessarily combined. As much of the functionality needed to implement identity cards is also required for the implementation of biometric passports, this is the most cost-effective way to deliver these initiatives (e.g. both the implementation of biometric passports and identity cards will require a very similar application procedure as well the procurement of biometric recording equipment, data storage capability for biographical and biometric information and offices to facilitate enrolment).
	As a result, much of the work conducted by Identity and Passport Service cannot be categorised, both financially and operationally, as contributing towards either the introduction of biometric passports or identity cards alone. The work is accounted for in future development projects. My estimate is that only one project relating to card production would solely relate to the introduction of identity cards but the work of this project at this stage of the programme primarily involves analysis related to common aspects for both passport and identity card developments (e.g. specification for and procurement of chip technology). The cost can therefore not be disaggregated at this stage of the programme.

Illegal Immigrants: Identity Cards

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of illegal immigrants who are likely to be detected each year as a result of the introduction of the identity cards scheme.

Joan Ryan: Although no such estimates have yet been made, one of the statutory purposes of the identity cards scheme is to provide a secure and reliable method of identifying people resident in the United Kingdom, where that is in the public interest, including for the purposes of the enforcement of immigration controls, and this will act as a major deterrent to potential illegal migrants.

Immigrants: Turkey

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many migrants from Turkey were granted  (a) exceptional leave and  (b) indefinite leave to remain as a result of the provisions of the Ankara Agreement in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: No grants of exceptional leave to remain were given as a result of the provisions of the Ankara Agreement.
	Only three grants of indefinite leave to remain was given during the period requested, one in 2004 and two in 2006.
	Information on decisions relating to Turkish nationals making applications for the period May 2005 to December 2006 was published by the Department in February 2007. It can be found at the following website:
	http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/6353/aboutus/ECAA_final.pdf

Immigration and Nationality Directorate: Standards

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the legacy was of case records still to be decided by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate on  (a) 16 July 2006 and  (b) 12 March 2007; what estimate he has made of the time it will take to clear these cases; and whether the legacy of cases is being dealt with (i) after and (ii) at the same time as new cases.

Liam Byrne: In his statement to Parliament on 19 July 2006, the Home Secretary advised that there was a legacy of between 400,000 and 450,000 electronic and paper records relating to unresolved asylum cases, and that we would aim to clear these cases in five years or less. It is our intention to complete consideration of all current legacy cases by July 2011.
	The Director General of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate wrote to the Home Affairs Committee on 19 February with an update on the Legacy Programme. A copy of the letter is in the Library.

Immigration Control

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if his Department will liaise with the Scottish Parliament Cabinet Secretary of Justice to consider the creation of a new international organisation to promote common international standards and technology in border control.

Liam Byrne: We are in the very early stages of considering the potential for development of such a body. This work will be taken forward in liaison with interested parties in the UK and abroad.

Immigration: Appeals

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average cost of an immigration appeal, excluding deportation and asylum appeals, before the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal where his Department is represented by  (a) a presenting officer and  (b) Treasury counsel was over the last 12 months.

John Reid: The average cost of an immigration appeal before the tribunal where the Home Office is represented by a Home Office Presenting Officer is 981. The average cost where the Home Office is represented by Treasury Counsel is estimated to be 1,448.
	The figures represent an estimated average of all immigration appeal hearings before the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal, excluding deportation and asylum appeals, for the last financial year including the costs incurred by the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal and the average cost for providing a Presenting Officer or Treasury Counsel.

Immigration: Kosovo

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average waiting time was for citizenship application forms to be processed for applicants from Kosovo in the latest period for which figures are available.

Liam Byrne: The average waiting time for the processing of citizenship applications from receipt to decision for applicants from Kosovo was 3.53 months for the 12 month period up to 31 May 2007.
	This information has not been quality assured, and is not a national statistic. It should be treated as provisional management information.

Labour Party: Conferences

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the estimated costs are of policing the Special Labour Party Conference on 24 June in Manchester; and who will meet the costs.

Tony McNulty: The chief constable of Greater Manchester police has advised that he estimates the costs of policing the event will be 200,000. I have spoken to the chief constable and the chair of the Police Authority to discuss the issue and explained the procedures for applying to the Home Office for special grant support. The force has expressed its intention to submit a grant which will be processed in the usual way.

Members: Correspondence

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will provide a substantive answer to Question 123572, on removal proceedings, tabled on 21 February by the hon. Member for Sheffield, Hallam for answer on 23 February.

John Reid: I replied to the hon. Member on 21 June 2007,  Official Report, column 2065W.

Members: Correspondence

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when his Department expects to respond to the letter of 14 March from the hon. Member for Billericay on Mr. I. Clarke of Billericay.

Liam Byrne: I wrote to the hon. Member for Billericay on 22 June 2007.

Members: Correspondence

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the Minister of State for Nationality, Citizenship and Immigration to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey of 19 March 2007, reference SP2271, on employees of Strathaird Salmon Ltd, Inverness.

Liam Byrne: I wrote to the hon. Member on 21 June 2007.

Nathalie Ketchanou

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what basis Miss Nathalie Ketchanou was immediately returned to the UK from Kenya following her deportation from the UK; and at what cost.

Liam Byrne: I wrote to the hon. Member on 21 June 2007.

National Police Memorial Day

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he plans to attend the National Police Memorial Day on 30th September 2007.

Tony McNulty: It is very likely that my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary and myself will attend the National Police Memorial day as was the case in 2006 in Belfast.

Offenders: Deportation

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign national prisoners were removed from the United Kingdom by administrative removal in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Liam Byrne: The information requested could be obtained only by the detailed examination of individual records at disproportionate cost.
	On 14 June the Chief Executive of the Border and Immigration Agency wrote to the Home Affairs Committee to provide the most recent information available on foreign national prisoners. In this letter the Director reported that 2784 foreign national prisoners were deported or removed in the financial year 2006-07. A copy of this letter is available from the Library of the House.

Offensive Weapons: Lancashire

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were  (a) injured and  (b) killed as a result of knife crime offences in West Lancashire in each year since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: The information available centrally relates to homicides by sharp instrument recorded each year between 1997-98 and 2005-06. As figures are not collected below police force area level, data relating to Lancashire police are given in the table.
	
		
			  Offences currently recorded( 1)  as homicide by sharp instrument( 2 ) by Lancashire police: 1997-98 to 2005-06 
			  Year offence initially  Lancashire police 
			 1997-98 6 
			 1998-99 2 
			 1999-2000 1 
			 2000-01 15 
			 2001-02 4 
			 2002-03 10 
			 2003-04 12 
			 2004-05 11 
			 2005-06 1 
			 (1) As at 9 October 2006: figures subject to revision as cases are dealt with by the police and by the courts, or as further information comes to light. (2) Includes all sharp instruments, including knives.  Source: Based on England and Wales totals as published in Homicides, Firearm Offences and Intimate Violence 2005/2006 (Home Office Statistical Bulletin 02/07).

Passports: Interviews

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations  (a) his Department and  (b) the Identity and Passport Service have received on the account taken of the need for interviews in the costs of first-time passport applications.

Joan Ryan: Any representations received in the Home Office on issues relating to British passports are passed on to the Identity and Passport Service.
	The statistical breakdown of complaints received by the Identity and Passport Service does not show this issue as a separate category. From correspondence dealt with in the Identity and Passport Service HQ in 2007, one representation on the account taken in passport fees of the costs of interviews has been identified.

Police Air Support Units

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which police authorities operate shared police air support units.

Tony McNulty: The following police authorities operate joint police air support units in formal shared-cost arrangements:
	Avon and Somerset
	Gloucestershire
	Cambridgeshire
	Essex
	Suffolk
	Derbyshire
	Nottinghamshire
	Leicestershire
	Northamptonshire
	Warwickshire
	Northumbria
	Cleveland
	Durham
	South Wales
	Gwent
	Thames Valley
	Bedfordshire
	Hertfordshire
	West Mercia
	Staffordshire

Police: Boats

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were employed in Marine Units in each police authority in each of the last 10 years.

Tony McNulty: The available data relate to the number of people primarily employed in the function marine. This includes all individuals who predominately conduct marine or boat patrols including supervisors, and those who perform support functions within marine sections or units. This does not include those individuals who carry out underwater searches.
	The available data for police officers are from 2002-03 onwards, and the available data for police staff are from 2004-05 onwards, both are given in the following tables.
	
		
			  Police staff (FTE)( 1)  whose main function is marine( 2)  (2004-05 to 2005-06)( 3) 
			   As at 31 March 
			   2005  2006 
			 Avon and Somerset 0 0 
			 Bedfordshire 0 0 
			 Cambridgeshire 0 0 
			 Cheshire 0 0 
			 Cleveland 0 0 
			 Cumbria 0 0 
			 Derbyshire 0 0 
			 Devon and Cornwall 0 0 
			 Dorset 0 0 
			 Durham 0 0 
			 Essex 2 3 
			 Gloucestershire 0 0 
			 Greater Manchester 0 0 
			 Hampshire 0 0 
			 Hertfordshire 0 0 
			 Humberside 0 0 
			 Kent 0 0 
			 Lancashire 0 0 
			 Leicestershire 0 0 
			 Lincolnshire 0 0 
			 London, City of 0 0 
			 Merseyside 0 0 
			 Metropolitan police 4 0 
			 Norfolk 0 0 
			 Northamptonshire 0 0 
			 Northumbria 5 6 
			 North Yorkshire 0 0 
			 Nottinghamshire 0 0 
			 South Yorkshire 0 0 
			 Staffordshire 0 0 
			 Suffolk 0 0 
			 Surrey 0 0 
			 Sussex 0 0 
			 Thames Valley 0 0 
			 Warwickshire 0 0 
			 West Mercia 0 0 
			 West Midlands 0 0 
			 West Yorkshire 0 0 
			 Wiltshire 0 0 
			 Dyfed-Powys 0 0 
			 Gwent 0 0 
			 North Wales 0 0 
			 South Wales 0 0 
			 (1) This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding, there may be an apparent discrepancy between the totals in this table and totals in similar published tables.  (2) Staff with multiple responsibilities (or designations) are recorded under their primary role or function. The deployment of police officers is an operational matter for individual Chief Constables. This function includes those staff who are predominately conduct marine or boat patrols including supervisors, and those who perform support functions within marine sections or units.  (3) Data are not available for 2002-03 to 2003-04. 
		
	
	
		
			  Police officers (FTE)( 1)  whose main function is marine( 2)  (2002-03 to 2005-06) 
			   As at 31 March 
			   2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Avon and Somerset 0 0 0 0 
			 Bedfordshire 0 0 0 0 
			 Cambridgeshire 0 0 0 0 
			 Cheshire 0 0 0 0 
			 Cleveland 0 0 0 0 
			 Cumbria 0 0 0 0 
			 Derbyshire 0 0 0 0 
			 Devon and Cornwall 0 0 0 0 
			 Dorset 6 6 7 6 
			 Durham 0 0 0 0 
			 Essex 9 9 10 10 
			 Gloucestershire 0 0 0 0 
			 Greater Manchester 0 0 0 0 
			 Hampshire 9 9 9 10 
			 Hertfordshire 0 0 0 0 
			 Humberside 0 0 0 0 
			 Kent 0 0 6 5 
			 Lancashire 0 0 0 0 
			 Leicestershire 0 0 0 0 
			 Lincolnshire 0 0 0 0 
			 London, City of 0 0 0 0 
			 Merseyside 0 0 0 0 
			 Metropolitan police 92 70 62 53 
			 Norfolk 0 0 0 1 
			 Northamptonshire 0 0 0 0 
			 Northumbria 15 17 16 17 
			 North Yorkshire 0 0 3 0 
			 Nottinghamshire 0 0 0 0 
			 South Yorkshire 0 0 0 0 
			 Staffordshire 0 0 0 0 
			 Suffolk 0 0 0 0 
			 Surrey 0 0 0 0 
			 Sussex 0 0 0 0 
			 Thames Valley 0 0 0 0 
			 Warwickshire 0 0 0 0 
			 West Mercia 0 0 0 0 
			 West Midlands 0 0 0 0 
			 West Yorkshire 0 0 0 0 
			 Wiltshire 0 0 0 0 
			 Dyfed-Powys 7 6 4 5 
			 Gwent 0 0 0 0 
			 North Wales 0 0 0 0 
			 South Wales 0 22 0 0 
			 (1) This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding, there may be an apparent discrepancy between the totals in this table and totals in similar published tables.  (2) Staff with multiple responsibilities (or designations) are recorded under their primary role or function. The deployment of police officers is an operational matter for individual Chief Constables. This function includes those staff who are predominately conduct marine or boat patrols including supervisors, and those who perform support functions within marine sections or units.

Police: Cameras

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  when he expects the police head camera pilot project to be completed; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the pilot in reducing levels of violent crime;
	(2)  which police authorities are using head camera technology.

Tony McNulty: The Plymouth Body Worn Video Devices Pilot project ended on 31 March 2007.
	The final assessment report into the effectiveness of the cameras during the pilot in reducing crime, increasing numbers of offenders brought to justice and reducing police bureaucracy will be published, together with the associated guidance for the Police use of Body Worn Video Devices, at a launch event on 12 July 2007 in Plymouth.
	42 police forces across the UK have expressed an interest in this head camera project. The Home Office does not hold statistics on how many forces have implemented the technology to date.

Police: Disciplinary Proceedings

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 14 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1240W, on police: disciplinary proceedings, what steps he is taking to address the level of suspensions of  (a) full-time police officers and  (b) police community support officers; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The new police officer misconduct procedures that are currently being developed will modernise the police officer disciplinary process and should lead to a speedier resolution of misconduct matters and thereby reduce the time that police officers are required to be suspended. The new procedures do not however apply to PCSO's, who are subject to their employment contract and decisions to suspend are for the forces concerned.

Police: Helicopters

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he has issued to police authorities on the procurement of police helicopters; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The current procurement basis for Police aircraft (helicopters and aeroplanes) is the extant 1993 National Air Support Strategy. This document established Home Office capital funding (originally on a 49 per cent. (half grant and half credit approval)/51 per cent. basis) to encourage the rapid growth of Air Support Units. It also encouraged forces to operate in consortia, to share costs, and set funding priorities for new aircraft, equipment and infrastructure.
	In 2004 the funding arrangements were revised to provide up to a 40 per cent. (all grant) contribution to capital projects from a total allocation of 5 million.

Police: Lancashire

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crime scene investigators are in post in each police force in West Lancashire; and what percentage of those are civilian.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is not collected centrally in the police personnel statistics. The available information is the number of police officers and police staff who are primarily involved in the function Scenes of Crime.
	The available data are for the Lancashire police force, and are given in the following table.
	
		
			  Scenes of crime function( 1,2)  (FTE)( 3)  in Lancashire police force as at 31 March 2006 
			   Number/percentage 
			 Total number of officers/staff 74 
			 Percentage of civilian staff in total number 93 
			 (1) Staff with multiple responsibilities (or designations) are recorded under their primary role or function. The deployment of police officers is an operational matter for individual chief constables. (2) Overall force totals including those on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave. The data in the function breakdown is from unpublished sources and therefore totals may not match totals found in the published data. (3) This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding, there may be an apparent discrepancy between the totals in this table and totals in similar published tables.

Police: Manpower

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers there were in each police force in England and Wales in each of the last 10 years.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Police officer strength( 1)  (FTE)( 2)  by police force as at 31 March 1996 to 31 March 2006 
			  Police force  1996  1997( 3)  1998  1999  2000  2001( 4)  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Avon and Somerset 2,981 2,989 2,976 2,999 2,934 2,994 3,096 3,149 3,401 3,384 3,389 
			 Bedfordshire 1,128 1,094 1,079 1,041 1,028 1,036 1,069 1,106 1,181 1,215 1,198 
			 Cambridgeshire 1,238 1,302 1,291 1,274 1,237 1,296 1,362 1,384 1,400 1,402 1,430 
			 Cheshire 1,998 2,046 2,042 2,071 2,011 2,002 2,059 2,119 2,177 2,186 2,174 
			 Cleveland 1,420 1,459 1,483 1,416 1,404 1,407 1,461 1,582 1,687 1,676 1,677 
			 Cumbria 1,115 1,144 1,164 1,126 1,084 1,048 1,100 1,140 1,222 1,232 1,230 
			 Derbyshire 1,763 1,791 1,772 1,759 1,777 1,823 1,848 2,003 2,070 2,070 2,046 
			 Devon and Cornwall 2,899 2,865 2,962 2,887 2,841 2,934 3,053 3,202 3,283 3,369 3,493 
			 Dorset 1,263 1,284 1,310 1,279 1,306 1,354 1,381 1,416 1,433 1,450 1,485 
			 Durham 1,401 1,461 1,515 1,568 1,558 1,595 1,614 1,651 1,685 1,718 1,699 
			 Essex 2,884 2,961 2,928 2,891 2,806 2,897 2,946 2,989 3,098 3,190 3,279 
			 Gloucestershire 1,133 1,133 1,104 1,104 1,114 1,173 1,183 1,227 1,284 1,291 1,289 
			 Greater Manchester 6,938 6,922 6,949 6,810 6,795 6,909 7,217 7,343 8,042 8,041 7,959 
			 Hampshire 3,347 3,452 3,490 3,473 3,419 3,438 3,480 3,668 3,706 3,725 3,707 
			 Hertfordshire 1,712 1,759 1,740 1,724 1,767 1,922 1,825 1,957 2,086 2,104 2,126 
			 Humberside 2,041 2,045 2,021 1,974 1,932 1,917 2,058 2,105 2,213 2,230 2,224 
			 Kent 3,120 3,260 3,251 3,201 3,204 3,319 3,355 3,487 3,576 3,586 3,599 
			 Lancashire 3,171 3,248 3,257 3,245 3,179 3,255 3,304 3,339 3,550 3,551 3,583 
			 Leicestershire 1,908 1,949 1,983 1,993 1,993 2,032 2,100 2,114 2,277 2,283 2,250 
			 Lincolnshire 1,145 1,196 1,191 1,140 1,115 1,202 1,198 1,221 1,228 1,221 1,213 
			 London, City of 869 859 825 778 732 703 764 808 853 876 869 
			 Merseyside 4,411 4,230 4,216 4,211 4,085 4,081 4,125 4,099 4,122 4,317 4,269 
			 Metropolitan police 27,343 26,677 26,094 26,073 25,485 24,878 26,223 27,984 29,735 30,710 30,536 
			 Norfolk 1,401 1,432 1,430 1,381 1,381 1,420 1,468 1,499 1,510 1,544 1,557 
			 Northamptonshire 1,153 1,177 1,169 1,137 1,117 1,157 1,214 1,210 1,239 1,267 1,317 
			 Northumbria 3,668 3,677 3,769 3,840 3,788 3,857 3,929 3,943 4,040 4,048 3,983 
			 North Yorkshire 1,324 1,338 1,367 1,337 1,283 1,305 1,417 1,444 1,529 1,543 1,636 
			 Nottinghamshire 2,318 2,323 2,323 2,225 2,204 2,275 2,330 2,411 2,484 2,502 2,477 
			 South Yorkshire 3,073 3,159 3,182 3,168 3,163 3,197 3,199 3,183 3,279 3,265 3,255 
			 Staffordshire 2,209 2,211 2,292 2,238 2,170 2,129 2,133 2,202 2,266 2,280 2,272 
			 Suffolk 1,138 1,174 1,186 1,190 1,145 1,133 1,203 1,253 1,304 1,313 1,300 
			 Surrey 1,644 1,620 1,608 1,662 1,785 2,066 1,992 1,906 1,913 1,915 1,922 
			 Sussex 3,074 3,085 2,996 2,847 2,822 2,855 2,893 2,989 3,039 3,044 3,092 
			 Thames Valley 3,674 3,695 3,776 3,748 3,740 3,703 3,762 3,833 4,034 4,114 4,229 
			 Warwickshire 979 926 924 908 900 926 969 997 1,008 1,011 1,032 
			 West Mercia 2,017 2,040 2,010 2,025 1,887 1,951 2,018 2,256 2,355 2,367 2,351 
			 West Midlands 7,145 7,113 7,156 7,321 7,194 7,423 7,681 7,751 7,887 8,056 8,097 
			 West Yorkshire 5,142 5,209 5,155 4,982 4,822 4,815 4,889 5,029 5,275 5,631 5,644 
			 Wiltshire 1,219 1,154 1,156 1,151 1,118 1,120 1,157 1,158 1,217 1,222 1,219 
			 Dyfed-Powys 991 1,005 1,002 1,026 1,040 1,055 1,132 1,149 1,160 1,174 1,182 
			 Gwent 1,044 1,243 1,233 1,247 1,264 1,274 1,333 1,341 1,372 1,438 1,467 
			 North Wales 1,378 1,369 1,396 1,391 1,403 1,444 1,506 1,539 1,603 1,652 1,617 
			 South Wales 3,027 2,976 2,986 2,981 2,926 3,154 3,222 3,239 3,279 3,281 3,263 
			 
			 Total England and Wales 124,844 125,051 124,756 123,841 121,956 123,476 127,267 131,426 137,105 139,495 139,633 
			 (1) This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding, there may be an apparent discrepancy between totals and the sums of the constituent items.  (2) Full-time equivalent excludes those on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave.  (3) Boundary changes on 1 April 1996 transferred resources for the policing of the Rhmney Valley from South Wales police to Gwent police.  (4) Boundary changes on 1 April 2000 transferred some resources from the Metropolitan police to Essex, Hertfordshire and Surrey police forces.

Police: Manpower

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police staff were dedicated solely to the recovery of stolen works of art in each of the last 10 years.

Tony McNulty: This is a matter for each local constabulary.

Police: Motor Vehicles

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many accidents police vehicles were involved in each of the last five years; how many injuries were sustained by  (a) police officers and  (b) police community support officers in such accidents; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The available data are from 2002-03 onwards and are given in the tables. The data are not available by rank.
	
		
			  Number of road traffic collisions on public roads involving police vehicles, from 2002-03 to 2005-06England and Wales 
			   Number 
			 2002-03(1) 18,644 
			 2003-04 20,511 
			 2004-05(2) 19,046 
			 2005-06 19,280 
			 (1) Data not available for Durham and West Midlands. (2 )Data not available for Cleveland, Leicestershire and South Wales. 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of police personnel casualties resulting from those road traffic accidents during immediate/emergency responseEngland and Wales 
			   Fatal injury  Serious injury  Other injury 
			 2002-03(1) 2 33 568 
			 2003-04 1 38 765 
			 2004-05(2) 0 25 781 
			 2005-06(3) 3 28 828 
			 (1) Data not available for Durham, Metropolitan Police (other injury only), North Yorkshire and West Midlands. (2) Data not available for Dorset and Leicestershire. (3) Data not available for Nottinghamshire.

Police: Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his latest estimate is of the total cost of all police pensions as a share of police spending in each year from 1990-91 to 2020-21; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: Information on the total cost of police pensions as a share of police spending since 1990-91 is not held centrally as the administration of the police pension schemes is the responsibility of individual police authorities. Information on financial statistics, including expenditure on police pensions and overall spending, for police forces is included in the annual reports published by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA). This information is gathered independently of the Home Office.
	The following figures are the most recently published projections of total future expenditure on police pensions in England and Wales, net of the contributions made by serving officers. These were produced by the Government Actuary's Department (GAD) as part of the consultation process on the new system for funding police pensions in 2005. GAD advise that in view of the time elapsed since the figures were produced they should be viewed only as indicative of the likely future trend of police pensions expenditure. No projections are available for 2013-14 to 2020-21:
	
		
			  Financial year  Estimated pensions expenditure ( billion) 
			 2007-08 1.61 
			 2008-09 1.74 
			 2009-10 1.88 
			 2010-11 2.00 
			 2011-12 2.12 
			 2012-13 2.25 
		
	
	Police spending is based on government grants on which no decisions have yet been taken for the comprehensive spending review (CSR) years and on police precept which is a matter for local authorities. Information on projected police spending for 2007-08 is included in the annual reports published by CIPFA.
	The system for financing police pensions changed on 1 April 2006. Under the new system, police authorities no longer have to meet the cost of pensions in payment out of their operating accounts. Police authorities now have a separate pensions account for this purpose, into which are paid officers' contributions and a new employer's contribution. Where the pensions account does not have enough funds to meet the cost of pensions in any year it is topped up with a grant from central Government; any surplus is recouped. A key benefit of this change is that it takes away from police authorities the responsibility for meeting the rising cost of pensions in payment as a result of an increase in the number of pensioners.

Police: Vocational Training

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to promote the Fullbright Fellowship in Police Studies scheme.

Tony McNulty: The National Policing Improvement Agency is responsible for the Fulbright Fellowship in Police Studies. Details of the Fulbright Fellowship are currently available on the Home Office Website. The NPIA, ACPO and the Fulbright Commission will be working together to promote the scheme across the police service.

Police: Weapons

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent on the development of non-lethal weaponry to be used by the police in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Tony McNulty: Funding dedicated to the development of less lethal technologies for the police through the Home Office Scientific Development Branchpreviously the Police Scientific Development Branchis set out in the following table.
	
		
			
			 2002-03 623,551 
			 2003-04 50,300 
			 2004-05 274,140 
			 2005-06 111,409 
			 2006-07 132,711 
		
	
	In addition, the breakdown of cross-Government spend through the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory on developing the Attenuated Energy Projectile (AEP), its predecessor the L21A1 and the Discriminating Irritant Projectile (DIP), is set out in the following table.
	
		
			
			 2002-03 168,005 
			 2003-04 715,885 
			 2004-05 1,338,189 
			 2005-06 401,053 
			 2006-07 768,191 
			 2007-08 92,097 
		
	
	The development of the L21A1, the AEP and the DIP is overseen by the UK Steering Group on Alternative Policing Approaches Towards the Management of Conflict, set up in line with recommendations 69 and 70 of the Patten Report to establish less potentially lethal alternatives to the baton round and expand the range of tactical options available to operational commanders. The development of less lethal alternatives also addresses the Government's responsibilities arising from article 2 of the UN Basic Principles on the use of Force and Firearms which states that Governments and law enforcement agencies should develop a range of means as broad as possible and equip law enforcement officials with various types of weapons and ammunition that would allow for a differentiated use of force and firearms.

Prisoners: Foreigners

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign national prisoners were transferred from immigration removal centres to open prisons in each of the last three years; and what the criteria were for transferral.

John Reid: Time-served foreign national prisoners who are held in the Border and Immigration Agency's Removal Estate would only be transferred to prison accommodation where their behaviour threatens the security or control of the Removal Centre concerned or where they are subject to further criminal charges.
	Those transfers relating to issues of security or control would not be to category D prisons. Where an individual is transferred back to prison custody because they are subject to further criminal charges, they would be transferred to a closed prison near the court before which they were to appear.

Radio Frequency Identification

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his policy is on the regulation of the use of radio frequency identifiers; and to what use information derived from these is put.

Margaret Hodge: I have been asked to reply.
	The use of radio frequency identifiers (RFID) is regulated by Ofcom under the terms of the Wireless Telegraphy Act. Licenses may be granted setting out permitted power levels, frequency bands and antenna configurations to reduce the likelihood of interference with other radio spectrum users.
	Harmonised standards maximise the benefits of RFID use in global supply chains. In January 2006 Ofcom responded to a recommendation from the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT) making harmonised spectrum available for RFID use in the UK.
	The need for further harmonisation was noted in the April 2007 European Commission Communication (7544/07) 'Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) in Europe: steps towards a policy framework'. The Government support this approach.
	RFID is an important business technology in food production, logistics, supply chain and retail. Information derived from it is used for quality assurance and audit and for efficient management of shipping, supply chain, warehousing and stock. It is used increasingly in documents, banknotes and ticketing to reduce counterfeiting. Millions of RFID enabled cards are used by commuters, easing access to transport systems. RFID is starting to be used in health care where it can significantly enhance patient safety.
	Information derived from RFID normally describes objects. Where information pertains to, or is associated with, persons that information is subject to the terms of the Data Protection Act. The Government believe the current regulatory regime is adequate but keeps it under review in light of future technological and market developments.

Sea Carrier Liaison Officers

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  pursuant to the written statement of 18 June 2007,  Official Report, columns 76-77WS, on the Managing of Global Migration Strategy, how many of the proposed Sea Carrier liaison officers will be stationed in Scotland; and at what ports they will be stationed;
	(2)  what plans his Department has to liaise with the Scottish Parliament Cabinet Secretary for Justice on the deployment of the proposed Sea Carrier liaison officers.

Liam Byrne: Based on the successful model of the Airline liaison officer, we are examining the concept of a Sea liaison officer who could undertake a similar function at major sea ports of embarkation to the UK. This work is at an early stage and will be taken forward in liaison with all interested parties in the UK and abroad. It is too soon to say where such officers would be located or how many there would be.

Seasonal Workers

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many EU nationals registered to enter the United Kingdom to work as seasonal workers in agriculture in 2007, broken down by nation and region of origin; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: Provisional figures indicate that the nine contracted operators, administering the Home Office Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme (SAWS), issued 1,535 SAWS work cards to Bulgarian nationals and 890 to Romanian nationals for a set period not exceeding six months in the period 1 January 2007 to 31 March 2007.
	We are unable to provide geographical data broken down by region of origin.
	Data on Bulgaria and Romania are available on the BIA website by following the link below:
	http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/aboutus/reports/bulgarianandromanianaccession
	The figures quoted are not provided under National Statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change.

Seasonal Workers

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign students registered to enter the United Kingdom to work as seasonal workers in agriculture in each of the last 10 years, broken down by nation and region of origin; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The following table shows the number of Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme (SAWS) work cards issued based on the date the work card was printed. It is broken down by the top 20 nationalities for each year from 2004 to March 2007.
	For 1997 to 2003 inclusive, nationality data is not available.
	The figures quoted are not provided under National Statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change.
	
		
			  SAWS work cards printed top 20 nationalities 
			  Year/Country  2004  2005  2006  January- March 2007 
			 Ukraine 6,909 5,159 5,089 2,339 
			 Bulgaria 3,471 2,742 3,806 1,218 
			 Russia 2,539 2,485 2,921 895 
			 Romania 1,436 1,926 2,050 602 
			 Belarus 2,339 1,618 1,020 311 
			 Moldova 663 992 1,035 327 
			 Poland 1,864 0 0 0 
			 Lithuania 960 1 1 0 
			 China 677 0 0 0 
			 Latvia 594 1 0 0 
			 Macedonia 96 71 143 135 
			 Serbia 96 60 98 67 
			 Georgia 79 116 78 5 
			 Albania 146 66 46 0 
			 Armenia 47 38 91 58 
			 Yugoslavia 14 27 94 1 
			 Mongolia 81 17 8 4 
			 Ghana 11 19 32 40 
			 India 85 6 3 0 
			 Estonia 76 8 3 1 
			 Others 199 112 89 37 
			 Total 22,382 15,464 16,607 6,040

Security Measures

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 6 June 2007,  Official Report, columns 618-20W, on security measures, how many individuals have been  (a) charged with and  (b) convicted of an offence of encouraging terrorism under the Terrorism Act 2006.

Tony McNulty: Statistics are not broken down in the format requested. Figures compiled from police records show that between 13 April 2006 and 12 April 2007, 30 people have been charged under the Terrorism Act 2006. These individuals are currently awaiting trial.

Security Measures

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 6 June 2007,  Official Report, columns 618-20W, on security measures, how many individuals have been denied asylum under the provisions of section 54 of the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006; and on how many occasions he has certified that an appellant is not entitled to the protection of the Refugee Convention under section 55 of the Act.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is not collated centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Security Measures

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 6 June 2007,  Official Report, columns 618-20W, on security measures, what the timetable is for consulting on setting a maximum time limit for all future extradition cases involving terrorism; and when he expects to reach a decision on that matter.

Joan Ryan: The working group referred to in the answer of 6 June 2007,  Official Report, columns 618-20W, has engaged in a continuous consultation on extradition request made to the UK involving allegations of terrorism.
	A statutory maximum time limit might hinder the ability of our independent courts to give full consideration both to the arguments of the requesting state and to those of the wanted person. Under the Extradition Act 2003 and its predecessor legislation, different procedures have had to be applied to different cases. Accordingly, the duration of each stage in each terrorist-related extradition case is now being expedited, so far as possible, through the working group.
	Since the working group was initiated under the Prime Minister's 12-point plan, seven people have been extradited for terrorist-related offences; while two have exhausted all domestic proceedings under extradition legislation but have outstanding applications before the European Court of Human Rights.

Security Measures

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 6 June 2007,  Official Report, columns 618-20W, on security measures, how many individuals have breached their control orders.

Tony McNulty: The Secretary of State reports quarterly on the exercise of his powers under the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005. This includes the number of charges and convictions for breach. I refer the hon. Member to my most recent statement of 21 June 2007,  Official Report, columns 109-11W.

Sexual Offences: Wales

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of serious sexual crimes reported in Wales resulted in conviction in the courts in each of the last three years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I have been asked to reply.
	The statistics are not available in the form requested. Recorded sexual offences statistics relate to offences and convictions data relates to offenders. In addition, recorded crime data are published on a financial year basis and conviction data are published on a calendar year basis. For these reasons, the two data sources are therefore not directly comparable.
	Figures for the number of offences recorded and the number of convictions are as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			  Sexual offences recorded by the police in Wales  
			 2003-04 2,121 
			 2004-05 2,595 
			 2005-06 2,670 
			  Persons convicted of sexual offences in Wales  
			 2003 162 
			 2004 182 
			 2005 201

Speed Limits: Cameras

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 12 June 2007,  Official Report, column 977W, on speed limits: cameras, what estimate he has made of the overall proportion of time spent by traffic police on each of the five main objectives; and whether there has been any change in the priorities over the last 10 years.

Tony McNulty: The statement setting out the joint Home Office, Department for Transport and ACPO Roads Policing Strategy was issued in January 2005. It listed formally for the first time the five main objectives of roads policing and has not subsequently been amended. How police resources are deployed to meet those objectives, including the amount of time spent on each of them, is an operational matter for individual chief officers of police. Information is not collected centrally.

Srichand Hinduja

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost was of the Hammond Review of the circumstances surrounding the application for naturalisation by Mr. S. P. Hinduja.

Liam Byrne: Sir Anthony Hammond carried out two reviews for the Prime Minister. The first was to establish the circumstances of any approaches to the Home Office about an application for naturalisation by Mr. S. P. Hinduja and the later grant of that application. The second followed on to examine certain additional papers. The reviews were supported by members of Home Office staff. The costs were in the region of 20,000.

Terrorism: Finance

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the names of  (a) suspected terrorists subject to control orders and  (b) any such suspected terrorists who have absconded have their names automatically passed to HM Treasury for the purpose of freezing their assets.

Tony McNulty: The passing of such information to HM Treasury is decided on a case-by-case basis and is subject to operational and security considerations.

Terrorism: Sri Lanka

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department is taking to prevent the financing from the UK of Tamil Tiger terrorists in Sri Lanka.

Tony McNulty: The Home Office works closely with law enforcement agencies and other Government Departments to prevent the financing of terrorism.

Tul Bahadur Pun UI

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria were first used to decide whether former Rifleman Tul Bahadur Pun UI should be admitted to the UK; and what the revised criteria were which led to the final decision in his case.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 11 June 2007
	 The rules applying to applications for indefinite leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom by former Gurkhas who completed their service on or after 1 July 1997 are set out in paragraphs 276E to 276K of the Immigration Rules. I would refer the hon. Gentleman to the relevant policy contained on the Border and Immigration Agency website at:
	http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/lawandpolicy/immigrationrules/part7
	Discretion may be exercised for Gurkhas discharged from service before 1 July 1997, and who are not covered by the Immigration Rules, where there are strong reasons why settlement in the UK is appropriate. This guidance is contained in chapter 15, section 2A of the Immigration Directorate Instructions at:
	http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/idischapter15/
	The circumstances surrounding Tul Bahadur Pun's case are clearly exceptional. In the light of this, the Secretary of State and I reviewed the case and made the decision to grant Mr. Pun a settlement visa. Our decision was not taken lightly and reflected the extraordinary nature of this case, in particular Mr. Pun's heroic record in service of Britain which saw him awarded the Victoria Cross. Full account was also taken of Mr. Pun's current medical condition.

Work Permits

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many IT, communications and electronics work permits were withdrawn due to non-compliance with the terms of the scheme in  (a) 2004,  (b) 2005 and  (c) 2006.

Liam Byrne: The number of work permits that were revoked during the years in question is in the table.
	The revocation process was not developed until late 2004. Employers are given the opportunity to make representations on the permits that are to be revoked and any such representations are considered carefully so the process takes several weeks. This is why permits were not revoked until 2005.
	The figures quoted are not provided under National Statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change.
	
		
			   Number 
			  (a) 2004 No work permits were revoked 
			   
			  (b) 2005 6 IT work permits relating to seven employers 
			  No communications work permits 
			  No electronics work permits 
			   
			  (c) 2006 196 IT work permits relating to 52 employers 
			  No communications work permits 
			  One electronics work permit relating to one employer

Work Permits: Fraud

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many investigations the Home Office Work Permits Section carried out into complaints of work permits abuse in  (a) 2004,  (b) 2005 and  (c) 2006.

Liam Byrne: This information is not recorded centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Work Permits: IT

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which 10 sponsoring companies were issued the largest number of work permits for IT workers in each year since 2000; and how many such permits were issued to each company in each year.

Liam Byrne: The Border and Immigration Agency is unable to release details of individual companies who have been issued with work permits. We consider the information provided by applicants to be confidential and that disclosure of such information would constitute a breach of confidence.

Workers Registration Scheme: North East Region

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many EU workers were registered in the Worker Registration Scheme in each local authority in the North East at the most recent available date.

Liam Byrne: The following table shows the last published data by local authority for the number of workers when they first registered to the Worker Registration Scheme (WRS) in the 'North East' Government Office Region for the period 1 May 2004 to 31 March 2007.
	The figures quoted are not provided under National Statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change.
	
		
			  Local authority  Number 
			 Alnwick 125 
			 Berwick-upon-Tweed 195 
			 Blyth Valley 185 
			 Castle Morpeth 395 
			 Chester-le-Street 35 
			 Darlington 470 
			 Derwentside 570 
			 Durham 255 
			 Easington 195 
			 Gateshead 515 
			 Hartlepool 70 
			 Middlesbrough 240 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 1,515 
			 North Tyneside 260 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 95 
			 Sedgefield 175 
			 South Tyneside 80 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 315 
			 Sunderland 540 
			 Teesdale 65 
			 Tynedale 150 
			 Wansbeck 40 
			 Wear Valley 150 
			 Total 6,630 
			  Notes: 1. 94 per cent. of approved nationwide applications have an accurate post code. Applications where post codes could not be matched to the Office of National Statistics database are excluded from this data-set. 2. Figures based on employers address and the date the application is approved, rather than the date on the application form as used and published in the Accession Monitoring Report. 3. Figures are rounded to nearest 5. 4. Because of rounding, figures may not add up to total shown.

Written Questions

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to answer questions  (a) (i) 123879, (ii) 123878, (iii) 123877, (iv) 123875, (v) 123876 and (vi) 123961, on immigration and  (b) 114916, on the emergency services, tabled by the hon. Member for Chesham and Amersham.

Liam Byrne: I replied to the hon. Member as follows:  (a) (i) on 16 April 2007,  Official Report, column 462W, (ii) on 20 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1960W (iii), (iv), (v) on 16 April 2007,  Official Report, column 462W; (vi) on 16 April,  Official Report, column 460W.
	My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Mr. Coaker) replied to question 114916 on 5 June 2007,  Official Report, column 404W.

Written Questions

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to answer question 123878, on arrests at the liquid natural gas terminal in Pembrokeshire, tabled by the hon. Member for Chesham and Amersham on 22 February.

Liam Byrne: I replied to the hon. Member on 20 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1960W.

Written Questions

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  when he expects to answer question 124194, on identity cards, tabled by the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South on 26 February 2007; and what the reasons are for the delay;
	(2)  when he expects to reply to question 124194, on identity cards, tabled by the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South for answer on 28 February 2007.

Joan Ryan: I replied to the hon. Member on 19 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1779W.

Yarl's Wood Detention Centre

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons women in Yarl's Wood Detention Centre may be denied  (a) access to their mobile telephones and  (b) access to satellite news broadcasts.

Liam Byrne: Access to a mobile phone would be denied only during a period of temporary confinement away from the main accommodation areas. There has never been any attempt to deny the women at Yarl's Wood access to satellite television news broadcasts.

Yarl's Wood Detention Centre

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons women detainees at Yarl's Wood Detention Centre may be  (a) handcuffed and  (b) given medication when being taken to UK airports.

Liam Byrne: Handcuffs can be applied following a risk assessment where the detainee is deemed to present a control or security risk. Only medication associated with an extant medical condition, properly prescribed at the centre would accompany the individual.

Yarl's Wood Detention Centre

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what basis the  (a) prices and  (b) level of profit at the shops at Yarl's Wood Detention Centre are arrived at.

Liam Byrne: Prices in the shop at Yarl's Wood are set in line with the recommended retail price. The level of profit at the shop is capped at 10 per cent.

Yarl's Wood Detention Centre

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what access to medical care is available to detainees at Yarl's Wood Detention Centre.

Liam Byrne: All detainees are seen by a nurse in reception on arrival at the centre. Within 24 hours all detainees are offered an appointment to see a doctor. Thereafter, a doctor's surgery and nurses clinics are offered on a daily basis and operate on an appointment system. Secondary care is provided by the primary care trust and access to these services mirror those in the community.

Yarl's Wood Detention Centre

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the daily allowance is to detainees of Yarl's Wood Detention Centre; and on what basis it may be denied.

Liam Byrne: All detained adult persons receive a weekly allowance of 5.00. Children receive a weekly allowance of 2.50. Monies are credited on a daily basis at the rate of 0.71 for adults and 0.35 for children. The daily allowance is never denied.

Yarl's Wood Detention Centre

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what privacy is accorded to women detainees in Yarl's Wood Detention Centre, with particular reference to male guards  (a) entering rooms without warning and  (b) searching rooms.

Liam Byrne: All staff at Yarl's Wood Removal Centre receive training outlining the appropriate behaviour to be used when entering detainees' rooms. All staff, both male and female, are advised to knock first and then slightly open the door after a brief while if no response has been made. They will then announce themselves and then wait again before entering the room. In cases of emergency, to preserve life or detainee safety a member of staff may have to enter a room without warning. All such instances are required to be documented.
	In line with the searching procedures agreed by the Home Office, all rooms are searched on a regular basis as a requirement of the contract.

Yarl's Wood Detention Centre

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) women and  (b) children have been detained in Yarl's Wood Detention Centre for (i) up to six months, (ii) between six and 12 months, (iii) between 12 to 18 months and (iv) longer than 18 months; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The Home Office publishes a quarterly snapshot of people detained solely under Immigration Act powers on the last Saturday of each quarter. The latest published information pertains to people detained as at 31 March 2007.
	The accompanying table shows the number of women and children detained solely under Immigration Act powers in Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre as at 31 March 2007 by length of detention.
	Information on the number of persons detained solely under Immigration Act powers is published in the Quarterly Asylum Bulletins, on the Home Office's Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.
	
		
			  Persons recorded as being in detention at Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre in the United Kingdom solely under Immigration Act powers as at 31 March 2007, by length of detention( 1) 
			  Length of detention( 2,3)  Number of women( 4)  Number of children( 5) 
			 Less than 6 months 270 50 
			 6 months to less than 12 months 20  
			 12 months to less than 18 months 5  
			 18 months or more *  
			 Total 300 50 
			 (1) Figures rounded to the nearest five ('' = 0, * = 1 or 2) and may not sum to the totals shown because of rounding. Figures exclude persons recorded as detained under both criminal and immigration powers. (2) Relates to current period of sole detention only. (3) Six months is defined as 182 days; 12 months is defined as 365 days; 18 months is defined as 547 days. (4) Females recorded as being 18 or over on 31 March 2007. (5) Persons recorded as being under 18 on 31 March 2007.

Yarl's Wood Detention Centre

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many hours in each day women in Yarl's Wood Detention Centre are confined to their rooms; and in what circumstances this figure may be varied.

Liam Byrne: Women at Yarl's Wood Removal Centre are not confined to their rooms at any stage during the day. All detainees are required to be in their rooms to enable a roll check but once this has been completed they are able to move freely within their accommodation units.

JUSTICE

Association of Panel Members: Finance

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice 
	(1)  what discussions she has held on the funding arrangements for the Association of Panel Members; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 23 April 2007,  Official Report, column 976W, on the National Appropriate Adult Network: finance, what steps he is taking to support the work of the Association of Panel Members; and if he will consider meeting the Chair of the Association of Panel Members;
	(3)  pursuant to the answer of 23 April 2007,  Official Report, column 976W, on the National Appropriate Adult Network: finance, if his Department will consider the merits of providing similar departmental funding to the Association of Panel Members.

Bridget Prentice: Funding for referral panels is provided to Youth Offending Teams by the Youth Justice Board (YJB) which is in turn funded by the Ministry of Justice. The Youth Justice Board supports the work of referral panel members by providing training and guidance. In January 2007 the Association of Panel Members approached the YJB and inquired about funding. The YJB replied that no funding was available and although the matter could be reviewed at a later date, no commitment could be made regarding future funding. There are no plans for the Secretary of the State to meet the Chair of the Association of Panel Members.

Chelmsford Prison

Simon Burns: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice 
	(1)  how many places are available in Chelmsford Prison;
	(2)  how many prisoners at Chelmsford Prison share a room with  (a) one and  (b) two other prisoners.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Operational capacity at Chelmsford is 695. At unlock on 22 June the population was 692. 306 prisoners in total were sharing a cell with one other prisoner. No prisoners were three to a cell.

Chelmsford Prison

Simon Burns: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many inmates committed suicide in Chelmsford Prison in each of the last 10 years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information requested is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Self-inflicted deaths( 1) , Chelmsford 
			   Number 
			 1997 1 
			 1998 2 
			 1999 1 
			 2000 1 
			 2001 1 
			 2002 1 
			 2003 0 
			 2004 0 
			 2005 1 
			 2006 1 
			 2007 to date(2) 1 
			 (1) Self-inflicted deaths include all deaths where it appears the individual acted specifically to take their own life, not only those that received a suicide or open verdict at inquest. (2) Up to 21 June 2007.

Chelmsford Prison

Simon Burns: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice if she will consider funding the Mentoring 4 U project in Chelmsford Prison.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The funding of offender learning and skills, including meeting the needs of those with learning difficulties and/disabilitiesand those with dyslexiais the responsibility of the Department for Education and Skills and its agencies. Consequently, the Ministry of Justice will not be providing funding for this project.
	I understand that the Skills Minister has written to the hon. Member directly on this matter.

Chelmsford Prison

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners are expected to be released from Chelmsford Prison under the recently announced planned early release initiative.

David Hanson: I estimate that around 2,500 prisoners per month will be eligible for release on an End of Custody Licence. This is a national figure. Data are not currently available to break down this number by prison establishment.

Courts: Clothing

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice if she will bring forward proposals for the reform of court dress, with particular reference to wigs.

Harriet Harman: This is a matter for the Lord Chief Justice. He has been consulting on this issue and intends to make an announcement about judges' working dress in the near future.

Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority

Mark Oaten: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice 
	(1)  what the budget of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority is for 2007-08;
	(2)  what budget surplus or deficit the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority has recorded in the last two years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The planned annual budget for the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority in 2007-08 is 187.749 million in resource DEL and 1.2 million in capital DEL. The near-cash budget is 225.789 million.
	The budget is currently held by the Home Office and will transfer to the Ministry of Justice later this year.
	CICA's annual report and accounts 2005-06, laid before Parliament on 21 June 2007, shows (at page 15) that the retained surplus for the financial year 2005-06 after transfers from reserves and reversal of notional cost of capital was 5.290 million, while the deficit for 2004-05 was 45.335 million. Figures for 2006-07 are not yet available and will be subject to audit in the usual way.

Crown Court Cells

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice whether all inmates detained in Crown Court cells have been subject to cell sharing risk assessments; who has conducted such assessments; what level of training they had received; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: All court cells used are single occupancy only.

Crown Court Cells

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice whether all inmates detained in Crown Court cells have been subject to assessment for self-harm as laid down in Prison Service Order 2700; who has been responsible for such assessments; what level of training they had received; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Prisoners previously held in prison accommodation will have been assessed in line with PSO 2700.
	All prisoners, whether or not previously held in custody, have a Prisoner Escort Record (PER) form, on which issues giving rise to concern are noted. Contractor staff and the on-site constables are also able to open a Suicide/Self Harm Warning form or an ACCT form and take management action as appropriate. At each court a clinic is held each night by a qualified health care professional to identify and help address any health issues arising.

Crown Court Cells

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice whether all Crown Court cells used to detain inmates overnight were subject to risk assessments to ensure that they were suitable for that purpose; what assessment was made of the availability of ligature points in the cells and the consequent risks posed; who was responsible for carrying out such assessments; where the risk assessments records are held; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: All court cells used to hold prisoners overnight have been assessed by NOMS for health and safety issues, including fire risks. NOMS has also carried out an assessment of the staffing levels appropriate to each site.

Crown Court Cells

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what contingency plans cover the holding of prisoners in Crown Court cells overnight; who agreed the contingency plans; and if she will place a copy of these plans in the Library.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The use of court cells takes place only as a measure of last resort if accommodation in prison and police cells is exhausted.
	Their use is underpinned by arrangements between NOMS, HM Court Service and other operational delivery agencies such as HM Prison Service.
	These plans are for use as management information only.

Crown Court Cells

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice whether all Crown Court cells used for detaining prisoners overnight have integral sanitation.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Most court cells do not have integral sanitation. However, prisoners held in court cells overnight have access to sanitary facilities within the custody area.

Crown Court Cells

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice whether any prisoners on an open ACCT or 2052SH form have been detained in Crown Court cells overnight.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Based on current information I am not aware that any prisoners with an open ACCT or 2052SH form have been held overnight in court cells. One occasion has been identified where an ACCT form was opened on a prisoner in the course of the night by medical staff on site in accordance with operating procedures.

Custodial Treatment: Sexual Offences

David Ruffley: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what proportion of convictions for  (a) rape and  (b) other sexual offences in (i) Suffolk, (ii) Bedfordshire, (iii) Cambridgeshire, (iv) Essex, (v) Hertfordshire, (vi) Norfolk and (vii) England resulted in custodial sentences in each year since 1997.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Data from the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform on the percentage of defendants convicted at all courts for offences relating to rape of males and females, and sexual offences not including rape of males and females, who were given immediate custody in certain police force areas and England for the years 1997 to 2005 can be viewed in the following table.
	Court proceedings data for 2006 will be available in the autumn of 2007.
	
		
			  Percentage of defendants convicted at all courts for offences relating to rape of males and females who were given immediate custody in certain police force areas and England for the years 1997 to 2005( 1,2,3,4) 
			  Percentage rape 
			   Bedfordshire  Cambridgeshire  Essex  Hertfordshire  Norfolk  Suffolk  England 
			 1997 100 100 95 100 100 100 97 
			 1998 100 100 93 88 100 100 97 
			 1999 80 100 100 90 100 100 96 
			 2000 100 100 67 100 100 100 95 
			 2001 100 100 100 88 100 100 96 
			 2002 100 100 71 100 100 100 97 
			 2003 100 100 100 100 100 100 97 
			 2004 100 100 100 85 100 100 96 
			 2005 100 91 92 100 91 89 94 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2 )Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Includes data from the Sexual Offences Act 2004, which came into force on 1 May 2004. (4) Care should be taken when using the figures for individual police force areas as these data are based on less than 100 cases.  Source: RDS Office for Criminal Justice ReformMinistry of Justice 
		
	
	
		
			  Percentage of defendants convicted at all courts for sexual offences excluding rape of males and females who were given immediate custody in certain police force areas and England for the years 1997 to 2005( 1,2,3,4) 
			  Percentage other sexual offences 
			   Bedfordshire  Cambridgeshire  Essex  Hertfordshire  Norfolk  Suffolk  England 
			 1997 36 50 57 47 45 57 48 
			 1998 60 34 40 53 60 60 46 
			 1999 56 37 59 36 61 31 48 
			 2000 64 48 56 53 50 46 50 
			 2001 61 40 54 72 56 50 48 
			 2002 45 51 36 63 55 38 47 
			 2003 69 53 49 55 52 52 44 
			 2004 69 52 56 47 52 52 47 
			 2005 58 49 48 45 56 45 45 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence/care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Includes data from the Sexual Offences Act 2003, which came into force on 1 May 2003. (4) Care should be taken when using the figures for individual police force areas as these data are based on less than 100 cases.  Source: RDS Office for Criminal Justice ReformMinistry of Justice

Data Protection: Prosecutions

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many prosecutions against data controllers for failure to notify the Information Commissioner of the processing of personal data under the Data Protection Act 1998 were brought in each year since the coming into force of that Act.

Vera Baird: The Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) came into effect on 1 March 2000.
	Prosecutions for non-notification under section 17 of the DPA can be instituted by the Information Commissioner or by, or with the consent of, the Director of Public Prosecutions.
	Data on all prosecutions under the DPA are collected by the Ministry of Justice's Office for Criminal Justice Reform. Data are collected under specific codes and not on individual case circumstances. Data on the number of prosecutions for non-notification of the processing of personal data under section 17 of the Act therefore cannot be separately identified and data are not available. The information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The Information Commissioner's Office maintains details of prosecutions that they have instituted for non-notification under section 17 of the DPA. These figures are as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2000 0 
			 2001 0 
			 2002 1 
			 2003 0 
			 2004 3 
			 2005 8 
			 2006 13 
			 2007 1

Data Protection: Prosecutions

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many prosecutions for non-notification of the processing of personal data under the Data Protection Act 1998 have been brought by  (a) the Information Commissioner,  (b) the Director of Public Prosecutions and  (c) others with the consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Vera Baird: The Information Commissioner's Office has instituted a total of 26 prosecutions for non-notification under section 17 of the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA).
	Data on prosecutions under the DPA are collected by the Ministry of Justice's Office for Criminal Justice Reform. Data are collected under specific codes and not on individual case circumstances. Data on the number of prosecutions for non-notification of the processing of personal data under section 17 of the Act brought by, and with the consent of, the Director of Public Prosecutions therefore cannot be separately identified and data are not available. The information could be provided at only disproportionate cost.

Data Protection: Prosecutions

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (1) how many prosecutions for non-notification of the processing of personal data under the Data Protection Act 1998 have resulted in convictions; and what penalty was imposed in each case in which no further proceedings are active;

Vera Baird: Prosecutions for non-notification under section 17 of the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) can be instituted by the Information Commissioner or by, or with the consent of, the Director of Public Prosecutions.
	Data on all prosecutions under the DPA are collected by the Ministry of Justice's Office for Criminal Justice Reform. Data are collected under specific codes and not on individual case circumstances. Data on the number of prosecutions for non-notification of the processing of personal data under section 17 of the Act therefore cannot be separately identified and data are not available. The information could be provided only at disproportionate cost
	The Information Commissioner's Office maintains details of prosecutions that they have instituted for non-notification under section 17 of the DPA. Since the introduction of the DPA on 1 March 2000 the Information Commissioner's Office has successfully prosecuted 26 cases under section 17 of the DPA, the details of the penalties imposed in these cases are: one penalty was a conditional discharge, one penalty was linked with other more serious charges and resulted in a sentence of 18 months probation and 150 hours of community service and 24 of the penalties were fines as shown in the table:
	
		
			  Number of convictions  Amount of fine () 
			 4 100 
			 4 200 
			 2 250 
			 4 300 
			 2 350 
			 1 400 
			 2 500 
			 1 750 
			 1 750 
			 2 5000 
			 1 5750

Data Protection: Prosecutions

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many requests for prosecutions against data controllers for failure to notify the Information Commissioner of the processing of personal data under the Data Protection Act 1998 have been made to  (a) the Information Commissioner and  (b) the Director of Public Prosecutions since 30 June 2005.

Vera Baird: Neither the Information Commissioner's Office or the Crown Prosecution Service, who deal with prosecutions on behalf of the Director of Public Prosecutions, keep details of requests made for prosecutions against data controllers for non-notification offences under the Data Protection Act 1998.

Departments: Aviation

Mark Prisk: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many flights to overseas destinations were taken by  (a) civil servants and  (b) Ministers in her Department in each of the last three calendar years; and what the total cost of such flights was.

Harriet Harman: This information can be provided only at disproportionate cost. Since 1999, the Government have published on an annual basis, a list of all overseas visits by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of 500, as well as the total cost of all ministerial travel overseas. Copies of the lists are available in the Libraries of the House. Information for 2006-07 is currently being compiled and will be published before the summer recess. All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Civil Service Management Code, the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers.

Departments: Energy

Mark Prisk: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many energy saving light bulbs were purchased by her Department for use on the departmental estate in  (a) 2005 and  (b) 2006.

Harriet Harman: It is the Ministry of Justice's Procurement Policy to purchase sustainable goods and services wherever appropriate and possible. All Ministry of Justice Procurement staff have a responsibility to promote and support the Governments Sustainable Development agenda by working closely with both customers and suppliers.
	There is no historical data or system in place to record the number of energy saving light bulbs purchased.

Departments: Foreign Relations

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many Memoranda of Understanding are in force as a result of agreements with foreign governments entered into by Ministers in her Department; and what executive actions each entails.

Harriet Harman: The Ministry of Justice has two Memoranda of Understanding in force with China relating to training programmes for Chinese lawyers and judges. The Ministry funds and oversees both programmes.

Departments: Marketing

Mark Hoban: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice pursuant to the Answer of 4 June 2007,  Official Report, column 208W, on Departments: marketing, what the sources are of the additional costs which  (a) have been incurred since 9 May 2007 and  (b) may yet be incurred.

Vera Baird: There has only been one approved item of additional cost since 9 May 2007. This is for an IT Project Manager to migrate projects from the Home Office to the Ministry of Justice.
	The new Ministry is currently reviewing its organisational structure and operating model. Depending on the outcome of this review, further costs may be incurred, e.g. on additional integration. Also, there will be costs relating to the various project teams who will take forward any actions arising from the review.
	Any additional costs will, where possible, be required to be absorbed into current budget allocations. Where this is not possible, the MoJ Steering Group will approve the expenditure.

Departments: Marketing

Mark Hoban: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice pursuant to the Answer of 4 June 2007,  Official Report, column 208W, on Departments: marketing, if she will provide a breakdown of the figure of 1.5 million by main budget heading; and what the evidential basis was for the estimate.

Vera Baird: The 1.5 million estimate provided in previous answers is made up of the following budget headings:
	
		
			  Budget heading  Approximate costs ( million) 
			 Policy (consultancy; policy documents) 0.07 
			 IT (capital: hardware; accessibility; branding: templates; desktop) 0.70 
			 Project Management 0.08 
			 Commercial (consultancy support; resolution and accountancy issues) 0.16 
			 Estates (new offices; signage) 0.28 
			 Communications (logo; presentation stands; branding; internet/intranet development) 0.13 
			 Human Resources (rebranding; staff) 0.04 
			 Private Offices (IT improvements) 0.04 
			 Total 1.50 
		
	
	All business cases for MoJ transitional expenditure are presented to the Ministry of Justice Steering Group.

Departments: Marketing

Theresa May: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice which advertising and marketing campaigns were run by her Department in each of the last five years; which external agencies were involved; and what the cost was of each campaign.

Vera Baird: Since my Department was created on 9 May 2007, the Ministry of Justice's spend on advertising has been as follows:
	2,100 on advertising for the Camberwell Green magistrates court payback scheme through Barkers
	3,700 on recruitment through Euro ESCG Riley.
	22,900 on magistrates recruitment (no agency used).
	54,435 on senior judicial recruitment through TMP UK and Michael Page International.
	Spending by the Ministry on marketing cannot be separated from other communications expenditure without incurring disproportionate costs.

Departments: Northern Ireland

David Lidington: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice if she will place in the Library a copy of the concordat governing the relationship between her Department and the Northern Ireland administration.

Vera Baird: Ministry of Justice was created on 9 May and does not have a concordat with the Northern Ireland Executive. The principles set out in the Memorandum of Understanding and Supplementary Agreements between the UK Government, Scottish Ministers, the Cabinet of the National Assembly for Wales and the Northern Ireland Executive, published in 2001, continue to underpin our working relationship with the Northern Ireland Executive.

Departments: Public Relations

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how much was spent by her Department and its predecessor on public relations in each of the last five years.

Vera Baird: The Ministry of Justice, in line with other Government Departments, maintains and funds a communications capability and makes use of external communications services, including public relations services.
	Since its establishment on 9 May, the Ministry of Justice has spent 3,113.75 on public relations to raise awareness of human rights.
	Since it was set up in June 2003, its predecessor Department, the Department for Constitutional Affairs, or public bodies sponsored by the DCA, spent the following on public relations.
	The Commission for Judicial Appointments (a non-departmental public body) engaged a PR firm to promote its views on the merits of the judicial appointments processes at the following cost:
	
		
			
			 2003-04 44,478 
			 2003-05 33,228 
			 2003-06 45,173 
		
	
	Her Majesty's Courts Service contracted PR firms for the following initiatives:
	2005-06: To provide communications for its estates strategy17,500
	To raise public awareness of the legal status of cohabitation:
	
		
			
			 2004-05 179,000 
			 2005-06 180,000

Departments: Sign Language

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what assessment she has made of the merits of providing British Sign Language (BSL) videos on her departmental website for the benefit of those whose first language is BSL.

Harriet Harman: The Ministry of Justice has not assessed the merits of using British sign language videos on either its corporate website, www.justice.gov.uk, or on its corporate intranet. However, the website has been fully tested for usability and accessibility and it conforms to the web accessibility initiative AAA standards. The website has been user-tested by disabled employees to check that the site's functionality and content can be effectively accessed via assistive technologies such as screen readers.
	The Ministry of Justice has not received any requests to provide information in BSL via its corporate website. If however a request were received then, in line with our duties under DDA, we would consider the cost; the practicability and the extent to which presenting information via BSL video would overcome the barrier or disadvantage experienced by the disabled person.

Driving Offences: Convictions

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many  (a) women,  (b) men,  (c) women under 30 years and  (d) men under 30 years were found guilty of causing death by careless driving under influence of drink or drugs in each of the last 10 years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The number of females and males, found guilty at all courts for the offence of causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drink or drugs, for age group 10 to 30, and all ages in England and Wales, 1996 to 2005 which can be viewed in the following table.
	Court proceedings data for 2006 will be available in the autumn of 2007.
	
		
			  Females and males, found guilty at all courts for the offence of causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drink or drugs, for age group 10 to 30, and all ages in England and Wales, 1996 to 2005( 1, 2, 3) 
			  Number 
			   Female  Male 
			   10 to 30  All ages  10 to 30  All ages 
			 1996 2 5 32 51 
			 1997 3 5 33 57 
			 1998 4 5 35 58 
			 1999 2 5 22 41 
			 2000 2 2 34 51 
			 2001 2 2 28 49 
			 2002 3 9 39 57 
			 2003 2 4 29 56 
			 2004 3 4 36 58 
			 2005 3 5 35 61 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Includes the following statute: Road Traffic Act 1988 section 3A as added by the Road Traffic Act 1991 section 3 and amended by CJA 1993, section 67.  Source: RDS Office for Criminal Justice ReformMinistry of Justice.

Driving Offences: Convictions

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many people were found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving in each of the last 10 years; and what the average sentence imposed was in each year.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Data from the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform for the number of people found guilty at all courts under the Road Traffic Act 1988 Sec 1 as amended by the Road Traffic Act 1991 Sec 1 and CJA 1993 Sec 67 for the offence of causing death by dangerous driving can be viewed in the table.
	Average custodial sentence length for persons sentenced (from the court proceedings database) for causing death by dangerous driving, England and Wales, 1996 to 2005 can be viewed in the table.
	Court proceedings data for 2006 will be available in the autumn of 2007.
	
		
			  The number of people found guilty at all courts under the Road Traffic Act 1988 Sec 1 as amended by the Road Traffic Act 1991 Sec 1 and CJA 1993 Sec 67 for the offence of causing death by dangerous driving in England and Wales, 1996 to 2005( 1,2,3) 
			   Found guilty 
			 1996 215 
			 1997 205 
			 1998 203 
			 1999 173 
			 2000 190 
			 2001 227 
			 2002 228 
			 2003 233 
			 2004 241 
			 2005 255 
			 (1 )These data are on the principal offence basis. (2 )Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3 )Staffordshire police force were only able to submit sample data for persons proceeded against and convicted in the magistrates courts for the year 2000. Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data, these data are not robust enough at a detailed level and have been excluded from the table.  Source:  RDS Office for Criminal Justice Reform - Ministry of Justice

Driving Offences: Mobile Phones

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many  (a) prosecutions were brought against and  (b) fixed penalty notices were imposed on drivers in each police authority area using mobile telephones while driving in 2005.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The data requested for 2005 will be available in the autumn of 2007.

Driving Under Influence

Owen Paterson: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice 
	(1)  how many drivers were convicted for drink-driving offences  (a) directly related to an incident in which death or serious injury was occasioned and where the alcohol-related incapacity of the driver was judged to be the primary cause of the incident and  (b) unrelated to any incident in which death or serious injury was occasioned, in each year from 1997 to 2006;
	(2)  how many of the drivers convicted for drink-driving offences in each year from 1997 to 2006 had previously been banned from driving for drink-driving offences while a ban was still current;
	(3)  how many drivers who had not previously held a full driving licence were convicted of drink-driving offences in each year between 1997 and 2006.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The specific information requested concerning individual circumstances of persons convicted is not recorded on the Court Proceedings Database, held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform.

Driving Under Influence

Owen Paterson: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many drivers were convicted of drink-driving offences in each year from 1997 to 2006; how many were repeat offenders; and how many of those repeat offenders had been convicted  (a) twice,  (b) three times,  (c) four times and  (d) more than four times.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Available information taken from the Court Proceedings Database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform, from 1997 to 2004 (latest available) is provided in the table.
	Information on repeat offenders of summary drink-driving offences is not identifiable.
	2005 data will be available in the autumn of 2007; 2006 data will be available in 2008.
	
		
			  Findings of guilt at all courts for offences of driving etc. after consuming alcohol or taking drugs ( 1) , England and Wales, 1997-2004 
			  Number of offences 
			   Total findings of guilt 
			 1997 100,202 
			 1998 93,116 
			 1999 89,364 
			 2000 85,829 
			 2001 84,742 
			 2002 90,488 
			 2003 93,702 
			 2004 96,238 
			 (1) Offences under the Road Traffic Act 1988 ss. 4 (1) and (2); 5 (1) and (b); 6 (4) and 7 (6). [Offences as a result of drink driving cannot be distinguished reliably from offences of drug driving].  Notes: 1. It is known that for some police force areas, the reporting of court proceedings in particular those relating to summary motoring offences, may be less than complete. Work is under way to ensure that the magistrates courts case management system currently being implemented by the Ministry of Justice reports all motoring offences to the Office for Criminal Justice Reform. This will enable more complete figures to be disseminated. 2. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Driving Under Influence

Owen Paterson: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many drivers were breathalysed in each year between 1997 and 2006; how many tests were positive; and how many were subsequently confirmed as positive by blood testing.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The available information is given in the table for 1997 to 2004. Data for 2005 will be available later in the year. 2006 data will be available in 2008.
	Information is not collected centrally on the number of positive tests subsequently confirmed by blood testing.
	
		
			  Screening breath tests by outcome, England end Wales 
			  Thousand 
			  Outcome  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004 
			 Total number of tests (1)800.3 815.5 764.5 714.8 623.9 570.2 534.3 577.6 
			 Number positive or refused 103.5 (2)102.3 (2)94.1 (2)94.6 (2)99.5 (2)103.5 (2)106.3 (2)103.0 
			 (1) Following the introduction of new breath testing equipment in Greater Manchester in 1998, it became apparent that the total number of tests had been over-estimated in 1997 and adjustments were made. (2) As from 1998 onwards, following a comparison between the number of positive breath tests reported by each police force annually and the number of court proceedings for drink/driving-related offences, it became clear that there was under-reporting in a number of forces. As a result, in some cases, court proceedings figures have been substituted for the positive breath test figures.  Note: Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Breath Tests Statistical Collection, held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform.

Driving Under Influence: Greater London

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many people were convicted of drink driving offences in each London borough in each of the last five years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Court Proceedings Database, held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform, does not identify convictions at London borough area level.

Driving Under Influence: Lancashire

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many convictions there were in each police authority in West Lancashire for the offence of drink driving in each year since 2001; and how many resulted in  (a) a prison sentence,  (b) mandatory disqualification from driving and  (c) the maximum fine.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Information taken from the Court Proceedings Database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform is available at police force area level only.
	Data for 2001 to 2004 (latest available) for Lancashire police force area are provided in the following table.
	Data for 2005 will be available in the autumn of 2007.
	
		
			  Total findings of guilt at all courts and resultant custody, maximum fine imposed and disqualifications, for the offence of driving etc. after consuming alcohol or taking drugs( 1) , within Lancashire police force area, 2001-04 
			   Total findings of guilt  Of which: immediate custody( 2)  Of which: maximum fine ()  Of which: disqualified( 3) 
			 2001 2,304 148 1,000 2,174 
			 2002 2,599 159 2,500 2,465 
			 2003 2,652 146 1,050 2,516 
			 2004 2,706 125 2,000 2,570 
			 (1) Offences under the Road Traffic Act 1988 ss. 4 (1) and (2); 5 (1) and (b); 6 (4) and 7 (6). (Offences as a result of drink driving cannot be distinguished reliably from offences as a result of drug driving). (2) Immediate Custody = Detention and Training Order, Young Offender Institution and Unsuspended sentence of imprisonment. (3) Disqualifications given as a secondary disposal. This covers cases where a disqualification from driving was given instead of a licence endorsement. This excludes cases where a defendant was disqualified under the penalty points or totting up system (s35 Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988). S.35 R.T.O.A. data for specific offences at force area level are not sufficiently robust.  Notes: 1. Standard Rate maximum fine is Level 5 (5,000). None were issued within the force area for the years for which data are provided.  2. It is known that for some police force areas, the reporting of court proceedings in particular those relating to summary motoring offences, may be less than complete. Work is under way to ensure that the magistrates courts case management system being implemented by the Ministry of Justice reports all motoring offences to the Office for Criminal Justice Reform. This will enable more complete figures to be disseminated. 3. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Electoral Register

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many and what percentage of people whose names are entered on UK electoral registers are  (a) UK citizens,  (b) citizens of the Irish Republic,  (c) Commonwealth citizens and  (d) European Union citizens.

Bridget Prentice: This information is not collected centrally. The Office for National Statistics is responsible for producing electoral registration figures, but they are not required to collect data on the nationality of people registered to vote.

Family Law: Legal Aid Scheme

Annette Brooke: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what the total legal aid bill for family law cases was in each of the last four years.

Vera Baird: The information requested is shown in the following table. The corresponding figures relating to 2006-07 are not yet available.
	
		
			   Total family legal aid ( million net cash) 
			 2003-04 493 
			 2004-05 488 
			 2005-06 536

Fixed Penalties

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many and what percentage of fixed penalty notices issued in each of the last 10 years were paid in full within the 14 day deadline.

Gerry Sutcliffe: None of the fixed penalty schemes for which the Office for Criminal Justice Reform holds data has a 14 day deadline. The Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) scheme for on-street parking contraventions allows for notices to be paid within 28 days and the motoring offences Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) scheme requires payment within 28 days. The PCN scheme does however allow for a discount if payment is made within 14 days. Data on notices paid within this period are in the table below. The Penalty Notices for Disorder (PND) scheme requires payment within 21 days.
	Information relating to fixed penalty notices for environmental offences, for which there is a standard period for payment of fixed penalties, set in legislation at 14 days, is a matter for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
	
		
			  Number and proportion( 1)  of Penalty Charge Notices issued and paid within 14 days( 2) , England and Wales( 3) , 1999( 4) -2004 
			  Million and Percentage 
			  Penalty  charge notices  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004 
			 Penalty charge notices issued 4.0 4.7 5.3 6.4 7.1 7.7 
			 Paid within 14 days(2) 1.6 1.8 2.4 2.8 3.3 3.7 
			 Percentage(1) 40 40 45 44 46 48 
			 Number of local authorities issuing PCNs(5) 10 26 45 62 84 99 
			 (1) These percentages differ from those within the annual 'Motoring Offence etc.' statistical bulletin which are based on known outcomes. (2) These notices must be paid within 28 days, but if paid within 14 days there is a reduction in the charge. (3) The first Welsh local authority joined the scheme in 2004. (4) Data for years prior to 1999 are unreliable. (5) All London local authorities within the scheme are counted as one for this table.  Notes: 1. No local authority outside London was using Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) during 1995, but Winchester city council began issuing PCNs in 1996. Up to and including 2004 there are 90 local authorities outside London issuing PCNs. 2. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrate data systems generated by local authorities. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collections processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source:  Penalty Charge Notice Collection held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform

Haverigg Prison

Jamie Reed: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice 
	(1)  if she will consider the possibility of further expansion of HMP Haverigg, following completion of the current expansion programme;
	(2)  what the maximum inmate capacity is of HMP Haverigg; what she expects the capacity of HMP Haverigg to be following the completion of the expansion programme; and how many inmates are housed at HMP Haverigg.

Gerry Sutcliffe: A further 1,500 places were announced by the Lord Chancellor on 19 June 2007 on top of the 8,000 already planned for delivery by 2012. We are currently investigating options for providing this further increase in capacity.
	As of 25 May 2007, the operational capacity (total number of prisoners that can be held taking into account control, security and the proper operation of the planned regimes) of HMP Haverigg was 568 and the population 562. The planned expansion scheme will provide an additional 64 places.

Haverigg Prison: Manpower

Jamie Reed: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice 
	(1)  how many new staff she expects to be employed at HMP Haverigg as a result of the expansion programme;
	(2)  what the staff levels are at HMP Haverigg.

Gerry Sutcliffe: It is expected that an additional 42.5 staff will be employed at Haverigg as a result of the expansion programme.
	The current level of staffing at Haverigg is 336, including casual staff employed to supervise the new build work.

Haverigg Prison: Prisoners Release

Jamie Reed: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many inmates at HMP Haverigg will be eligible for early release under the recently announced measures.

David Hanson: I estimate that around 2,500 prisoners per month will be eligible for release on an End of Custody Licence. This is a national figure. Data is not currently available to break down this number by prison establishment.

Judges: Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what her estimate is of the savings from capping the employer contribution to the Judicial Pension Scheme at 14 per cent.; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: No formal estimate has been made as there are no plans to cap the employer contribution to the Judicial Pension Scheme at 14 per cent.

Law Society Children Panel: Lancashire

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many children's panel solicitors are registered in West Lancashire; and how many were so registered in each of the last five years.

Bridget Prentice: The Law Society's Children Panel is maintained by the Law Society and is independent of Government. The Law Society has informed me that they do not keep records of members of the Children Panel in West Lancashire or historical data on different regions. However, they did inform me that there are currently 167 members in Lancashire as a whole.

Legal Aid

Simon Hughes: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how much was paid in legal aid in each region in each of the last five years.

Vera Baird: The following tables provide the information requested.
	
		
			  Legal aid expenditure on legal defence for proceedings in the Crown court, as paid directly by the court within circuit locations 
			   million 
			  Financial year  Midland and Oxford  Northern  North East  South East  Western  Wales and Chester 
			 2001-02 60.0 74.1 52.7 203.3 37.3 22.9 
			 2002-03 75.7 94.9 63.5 229.3 45.7 28.3 
			 2003-04 95.1 94.8 71.7 251.6 51.2 29.7 
			 2004-05 90.8 74.4 66.4 255.3 60.7 26.5 
			 2005-06 97.8 76.0 67.3 257.3 45.1 25.8 
		
	
	
		
			  Legal aid expenditure on legal defence for proceedings in the Crown court paid under high cost case contracts with the Legal Services Commission's (LSC) by LSC regions (cases expected to last more than 40 days at court) 
			   million 
			  Financial year  West Midlands  South East  South Western  Eastern  Wales  Yorkshire and Humberside 
			 2001-02 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.4 
			 2002-03 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.2 
			 2003-04 0.6 0.4 0.1 0.7 0.0 1.6 
			 2004-05 6.3 3.6 0.9 2.4 1.7 8.8 
			 2005-06 6.1 5.4 1.4 1.3 3.8 7.6 
		
	
	
		
			   million 
			  Financial year  Merseyside  London  North Western  North East  East Midlands  Unknown region( 1) 
			 2001-02 0.7 4.9 0.4 0.0 0.1 2.0 
			 2002-03 0.9 7.4 0.5 0.0 0.1 4.4 
			 2003-04 1.6 12.8 3.4 0.1 0.3 14.1 
			 2004-05 4.8 48.7 13.6 0.1 3.3 2.1 
			 2005-06 10.3 49.6 15.8 0.1 1.8 0.0 
			 (1) Not all expenditure by the LSC can be attributed to regions based on the location of the legal service provider in criminal matters where the expenditure is for advice and representation provided by barristers. 
		
	
	
		
			  Legal aid expenditure on the provision of advice in criminal matters plus representation in the magistrates courts by location of the legal service provider s'  LSC region 
			   million 
			  Financial year  West Midlands  South East  South Western  Eastern  Wales  Yorkshire and Humberside 
			 2001-02 49.0 48.5 29.1 27.2 26.5 37.7 
			 2002-03 59.2 58.3 33.8 34.7 30.3 43.7 
			 2003-04 60.4 61.3 35.5 36.1 29.2 44.7 
			 2004-05 55.9 58.7 33.1 37.4 29.9 44.6 
			 2005-06 53.0 58.4 33.4 36.6 27.3 42.5 
		
	
	
		
			   million 
			  Financial year  Merseyside  London  North Western  North East  East Midlands  Unknown region( 1) 
			 2001-02 13.8 101.2 49.5 21.1 32.3 1.5 
			 2002-03 16.2 118.7 56.8 25.5 40.7 1.5 
			 2003-04 16.4 115.8 60.5 25.6 40.1 1.7 
			 2004-05 15.9 103.6 58.5 24.6 39.8 1.4 
			 2005-06 13.3 110.8 55.4 22.4 39.9 1.0 
			 (1) Not all expenditure by the LSC can be attributed to regions based on the location of the legal service provider in criminal matters where the expenditure is for advice and representation provided by barristers. 
		
	
	
		
			  Legal aid expenditure for work in civil matters by location of legal service provider within LSC regions which includes work carried out under a legal aid certificate and may include representation in those matters that proceeded to court 
			   million 
			  Financial year  West Midlands  South East  South West  Eastern  Wales  Yorkshire and Humberside 
			 2001-02 54.9 116.3 78.0 73.9 48.2 88.2 
			 2002-03 64.2 104.4 65.7 65.0 52.5 88.0 
			 2003-04 57.3 91.1 50.9 61.6 62.3 77.2 
			 2004-05 51.3 70.2 53.4 55.8 55.8 84.1 
			 2005-06 53.0 47.9 53.3 58.9 58.1 67.2 
		
	
	
		
			   million 
			  Financial year  Merseyside  London  North West  North East  East Midlands 
			 2001-02 81.1 177.5 90.9 35.9 64.0 
			 2002-03 69.3 189.9 84.1 28.2 48.7 
			 2003-04 67.5 196.7 78.7 30.7 45.7 
			 2004-05 66.3 187.1 71.3 41.9 38.6 
			 2005-06 75.3 214.2 70.3 63.7 41.8 
		
	
	
		
			  Legal aid expenditure on legal help work in civil matters by location of the legal service supplier. This is work that is not carried out under a legal aid certificate and does not include representation at court 
			   million 
			  Financial year  West Midlands  South East  South West  Eastern  Wales  Yorkshire and Humberside 
			 2001-02 16.8 15.4 10.8 12.0 8.6 15.0 
			 2002-03 21.0 19.4 13.8 15.1 10.9 19.6 
			 2003-04 26.9 22.3 16.7 17.3 12.3 23.1 
			 2004-05 25.2 21.4 15.4 25.4 11.9 20.6 
			 2005-06 22.1 17.3 15.3 23.3 11.2 17.8 
		
	
	
		
			   million 
			  Financial year  Merseyside  London  North West  North East  East Midlands 
			 2001-02 8.9 122.0 17.1 9.8 13.1 
			 2002-03 10.2 156.8 21.3 13.5 17.3 
			 2003-04 10.2 178.7 24.1 17.1 19.2 
			 2004-05 10.1 141.8 23.6 16.4 15.6 
			 2005-06 10.3 89.3 21.1 12.8 13.8

Legal Aid

Simon Hughes: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many people received legal aid in each region in each of the last five years.

Vera Baird: The following tables show the information requested.
	
		
			  N umber of defendants represented in proceedings in the Crown court by Circuit in cases where legal aid is administrated by the court 
			  Financial year  Midland and Oxford  Northern  North East  South East  Western  Wales and Chester 
			 2001-02 26,000 23,000 22,000 49,000 13,000 9,000 
			 2002-03 28,000 23,000 21,000 50,000 13,000 10,000 
			 2003-04 31,000 23,000 21,000 49,000 14,000 10,000 
			 2004-05 29,000 23,000 22,000 50,000 14,000 10,000 
			 2005-06 29,000 23,000 22,000 52,000 14,000 10,000 
		
	
	
		
			  N umber of defendants represented in proceedings in the Crown court where the instructed solicitor firm was acting under a high cost case contract with the LSC (cases expected to last more than 40 days) based on the location of the legal service provider within LSC regions 
			  Financial  y ear  West Midlands  South East  South Western  Eastern  Wales  Yorkshire and Humberside 
			 2001-02 0 0 1 4 0 2 
			 2002-03 12 11 4 3 1 28 
			 2003-04 51 31 12 32 41 108 
			 2004-05 18 18 11 8 27 44 
			 2005-06 24 73 5 20 7 44 
		
	
	
		
			  Financial year  Merseyside  London  North Western  North East  East Midlands 
			 2001-02 7 51 5 0 1 
			 2002-03 17 71 39 2 3 
			 2003-04 42 336 113 5 55 
			 2004-05 56 167 63 1 10 
			 2005/06 48 251 58 1 11 
		
	
	
		
			  N umber of claims received by the Legal Services Commission (LSC) by legal service providers for work carried out under the Criminal Defence Service (CDS) for legal advice and representation for proceedings up to and including the magistrates courts based on the location of the legal service provider within LSC regions 
			  Financial year  West Midlands  South East  South Western  Eastern  Wales  Yorkshire and Humberside 
			 2001-02 167,000 167,000 112,000 97,000 97,000 148,000 
			 2002-03 179,000 184,000 125,000 110,000 102,000 163,000 
			 2003-04 183,000 192,000 122,000 115,000 99,000 167,000 
			 2004-05 170,000 186,000 118,000 116,000 92,000 156,000 
			 2005-06 170,000 193,000 120,000 124,000 90,000 163,000 
		
	
	
		
			  Financial year  Merseyside  London  North Western  North East  East Midlands 
			 2001-02 49,000 234,000 178,000 90,000 113,000 
			 2002-03 53,000 263,000 194,000 96,000 121,000 
			 2003-04 53,000 267,000 200,000 97,000 123,000 
			 2004-05 49,000 265,000 187,000 86,000 115,000 
			 2005-06(1) 46,000 281,000 193,000 88,000 120,000 
			 (1) 2005-06 also includes cases provided under the CDS Direct Scheme based on the location of the client. 
		
	
	
		
			  N umber of new matters started within for legal help in civil categories of law by location of the service provider within LSC regions 
			  Financial year  West Midlands  South East  South Western  Eastern  Wales  Yorkshire and Humberside 
			 2001-02 66,000 64,000 52,000 48,000 49,000 74,000 
			 2002-03 70,000 67,000 59,000 52,000 51,000 75,000 
			 2003-04 63,000 60,000 56,000 47,000 49,000 68,000 
			 2004-05 57,000 57,000 51,000 47,000 46,000 59,000 
			 2005-06 66,000 64,000 57,000 53,000 53,000 65,000 
		
	
	
		
			  Financial year  Merseyside  London  North Western  North East  East Midlands 
			 2001-02 44,000 196,000 84,000 51,000 59,000 
			 2002-03 42,000 200,000 86,000 54,000 60,000 
			 2003-04 37,000 168,000 72,000 49,000 53,000 
			 2004-05 34,000 146,000 72,000 47,000 48,000 
			 2005-06 38,000 158,000 75,000 55,000 50,000 
		
	
	
		
			  N umber of certificates issued in civil matters which may proceed to representation based on the location of the legal service provider within LSC regions 
			  Financial year  West Midlands  South East  South West  Eastern  Wales  Yorkshire and  Humberside 
			 2001-02 13,000 9,000 15,000 13,000 10,000 6,000 
			 2002-03 15,000 9,000 15,000 14,000 10,000 6,000 
			 2003-04 14,000 9,000 15,000 12,000 10,000 5,000 
			 2004-05 14,000 8,000 14,000 12,000 9,000 5,000 
			 2005-06 15,000 8,000 14,000 12,000 9,000 5,000 
		
	
	
		
			  Financial year  Merseyside  London  North West  North East  East Midlands 
			 2001-02 50,000 18,000 9,000 10,000 8,000 
			 2002-03 50,000 19,000 10,000 11,000 8,000 
			 2003-04 49,000 18,000 9,000 11,000 9,000 
			 2004-05 46,000 17,000 9,000 10,000 9,000 
			 2005-06 46,000 17,000 10,000 10,000 9,000 
		
	
	
		
			  N umber of people helped through the CIS Direct Helpline since it started based on when the cases closed. The cases recorded under CIS Direct are by location of the client within LSC regions 
			   West Midlands  South Eastern  South Western  Eastern  Wales  Yorkshire  and  Humberside 
			 2004-05 (July to March) 4,000 1,000 2,000 3,000 2,000 2,000 
			 2005-06 8,000 5,000 3,000 8,000 5,000 5,000 
		
	
	
		
			   Merseyside  London  North West  North East  East Midlands  Unknown region( 1) 
			 2004-05 (July to March) 0,000 2,000 1,000 1,000 1,000 4,000 
			 2005-06 1,000 10,000 3,000 3,000 4,000 16,000 
			 (1 )These figures are for cases not forming part of the five main categories of work dealt with by CIS Direct. A regional breakdown for these categories is mot available.

Legal Aid Scheme: Wales

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many law firms in Wales have not signed new contracts with the Legal Services Commission.

Vera Baird: The unified contract for civil work was issued to 200 solicitors' offices in Wales. 196 contracts have been returned signed. 29 contracts were issued to not-for-profit organisations in Wales and all have been returned signed.

Legal Profession: Regulation

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what the Government's policy is on the provision of funding to cover the start-up costs of regulatory bodies overseeing the legal professions.

Bridget Prentice: The Ministry of Justice will be making a contribution of 2.4 million towards the implementation costs, the legal profession should fund the start up costs associated with establishing the proposed Legal Services Board and the Office for Legal Complaints. Legal service providers enjoy exclusive access in the provision of reserved legal services, which often leads to the commission of ancillary legal services. In addition the professions stand to benefit from the increased consumer confidence that these reforms will generate. It is, therefore, totally appropriate that they should meet both the implementation and running costs associated with legal services reform.

Magistrates: Wales

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many magistrates are employed in courts in Wales; how many of those are expected to leave the magistracy in 2007-08; and how many magistrates her Department expects to recruit to courts in Wales in 2007-08.

Harriet Harman: At the financial year ending 31 March 2007, there were 1,949 serving magistrates throughout Wales.
	During the financial year 2007-08, 50 magistrates are due to retire throughout Wales. An unknown number of magistrates are expected to leave due to other reasons such as resignation, transfer etc.
	During the financial year 2007-08, it is expected that 82 magistrates will be recruited throughout Wales. This is based on predicted business need.

Miscarriages of Justice: Pensions

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice 
	(1)  what steps have been taken by the Government to check whether pursuant to section 133 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 the Assessor for Compensation for Miscarriages of Justice has notified the Information Commissioner of the processing of personal data of applicants for compensation;
	(2)  what resources have been  (a) sought by and  (b) paid to the Assessor for compensation for miscarriages of justice in relation to his obligations to notify the Information Commissioner of the processing of personal data of applicants for compensation;
	(3)  what assessment of Lord Brennan's knowledge of the content and principles of the Data Protection Act 1998 and his compliance with his obligations under that Act was made as part of the re-appointment procedure conducted in 2006.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Lord Brennan, the independent Assessor of compensation for miscarriages of justice, acts on behalf of the Secretary of State in making assessments of compensation. The Ministry of Justice's notification to the Information Commissioner covers personal data processed by him and staff of the Office of Criminal Justice Reform. No resources have, therefore, been sought by or paid to Lord Brennan in this context. His knowledge of the Data Protection Act 1998 was not a criterion used in the consideration of his re-appointment It is a matter of fact, however, that in his private practice Lord Brennan is registered with the Information Commissioner as a data controller.

Police Custody

Alan Williams: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what the range is of the nightly cost of police cells used by her Department and the Prison Service; and which such cells are the most expensive.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The estimated average cost of holding a prisoner in a police cell is 385 per night. Actual cost depends on the size of the units made available, the length of time they are required and any additional costs incurred. Police forces invoice NOMS for the use of police cells in arrears. Not all invoices have yet been received and so the full range of costs is not yet known.

Prison Service: Manpower

Jamie Reed: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what the recommended ratio is between staff and inmates in HM Prison Service.

Gerry Sutcliffe: There is no one recommended ratio. Staff to prisoner ratios are determined by a range of factors including type and geography of the establishment; type and mix of prisoners and security and control issues.

Prison Service: Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice at what age a prison officer is allowed to draw his or her full pension.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Under the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme, the normal pension age is 60, but for prison officers with reserved rights under the 1987 'Fresh Start' Agreement, the pension age is 55.

Prisoner Escapes

Hugo Swire: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many inmates have absconded from prison in each year since 1997, broken down by individual prison.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information requested is set out in the following table and covers the period from 1 April 1997 to 31 March 2007. Figures for 2006-07 are provisional and subject to validation.
	
		
			  Absconds from open prisons in England and Wales (1997-98 to 2006-07) 
			   1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Askham Grange 35 17 20 21 19 12 31 12 14 7 
			 Drake Hall 122 134 94 39 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 East Sutton Park 5 3 3 3 3 0 1 2 4 2 
			 Ford 53 40 68 57 57 91 142 110 96 62 
			 Moorland 77 80 36 34 50 56 68 73 49 41 
			 Hewell Grange 40 17 32 20 15 23 31 24 24 13 
			 Hollesley Bay 13 25 11 24 8 14 36 32 16 21 
			 Kirkham 234 202 171 169 163 208 213 120 74 54 
			 Latchmere House n/a n/a n/a 1 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Leyhill 20 25 34 25 19 33 114 102 66 37 
			 Morton Hall 20 15 23 6 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 North Sea Camp 25 32 27 24 36 34 79 33 49 48 
			 Norwich n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 8 2 2 
			 Prescoed 7 13 19 14 5 8 35 19 9 9 
			 Spring Hill/Grendon 20 9 14 14 12 23 60 36 34 11 
			 Standford Hill 35 40 43 29 37 83 89 39 58 38 
			 Sudbury 81 75 63 69 81 68 75 77 76 78 
			 Thorn Cross 168 135 147 110 135 152 130 90 105 82 
			 Wealstun 48 70 72 105 79 101 144 74 28 46

Prisoners Release: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice whether her recent announcement about the early release of prisoners who are coming to the end of their sentences on licence extends to Northern Ireland.

David Hanson: The announcement made on 19 June does not apply to prisoners in Northern Ireland, which remains the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Office.

Prisoners Release: Ribble Valley

Nigel Evans: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many prisoners set to be released under the new release scheme have residential addresses in the Ribble Valley.

David Hanson: I estimate that around 2,500 prisoners per month will be eligible for release on an End of Custody Licence. This is a national figure. Data is not currently available to break down this number by area.

Prisons: Construction

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how much the Government budgeted to spend on the construction of new prisons in 2006.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The National Offender Management Service had an overall budget for increased prison places in 2006-07, including places in existing prisons. 35.7 million was spent in 2006-07 in respect of potential new prisons.

Probation: Expenditure

Norman Lamb: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how much was spent on probation services in each year since 1997; what expenditure is expected for the forthcoming financial year; and how much of this spending  (a) was and  (b) will be dedicated to (i) mental health services, (ii) substance abuse rehabilitation services and (iii) vocational education in each of these years.  [Official Report, 18 February 2008, Vol. 472, c. 1MC.]

Gerry Sutcliffe: Expenditure on probation services is as follows:
	
		
			   million 
			   Resource  Capital 
			 2007-08 976 15 
			 2006-07 959 11 
			 2005-06 872 32 
			 2004-05 793 29 
			 2003-04 742 38 
			 2002-03 641 40 
			 2001-02 595 34 
			 2000-01 539 16 
			 1999-2000 491 23 
			 1998-99 466 22 
			 1997-98 464 17 
			 1996-97 467 22 
		
	
	The financial data includes probation boards, National Probation Directorate and latterly National Offender Management Service HQ.
	Comparisons over a long period of time are difficult due to machinery of government changes and accounting changes.
	After adjusting for organisational changes, accounting changes and inflation, the real terms increase in the Resource budget from 1996-97 to 2006-07 is about 70 per cent.
	Expenditure is not recorded in the categories requested under (i), (ii) and (iii).
	 Notes:
	All figures exclude electronic monitoring.
	Financial data for 2006-07 is subject to audit and for 2007-08 is planned expenditure.

Rape: Sentencing

David Simpson: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice 
	(1)  what the average sentence handed down by courts in Wales for rape was in each of the last three years;
	(2)  what the average sentence handed down by courts for rape was in  (a) England and  (b) each of the regions in each of the last three years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information requested, for the years 2003 to 2005, is contained in the following table.
	Information for 2006 will be published in the autumn.
	
		
			  Average custodial sentence length for rape offences( 1) , all courts, England and Wales, 2003 to 2005 
			  Average sentence length( 2) 
			  Region  Rape of males and females 
			  2003  
			 North East 89.4 
			 North West 88.6 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 86.3 
			 East Midlands 90.0 
			 West Midlands 83.3 
			 East of England 86.7 
			 London 87.1 
			 South East 79.4 
			 South West 86.1 
			 Total England 86.3 
			 Wales 88.9 
			   
			  2004  
			 North East 85.1 
			 North West 89.9 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 84.2 
			 East Midlands 87.5 
			 West Midlands 79.0 
			 East of England 77.9 
			 London 83.2 
			 South East 79.1 
			 South West 90.1 
			 Total England 84.0 
			 Wales 90.7 
			   
			  2005  
			 North East 84.2 
			 North West 88.2 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 80.0 
			 East Midlands 77.5 
			 West Midlands 80.2 
			 East of England 76.9 
			 London 85.3 
			 South East 85.6 
			 South West 70.1 
			 Total England 81.8 
			 Wales 79.3 
			 (1) Principal offence basis. (2) Months, excludes life and indeterminate sentences.  Note: These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system.  Source: RDS-NOMS, Ministry of Justice.

Security Measures

James Clappison: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice pursuant to the answer of 6 June 2007,  Official Report, columns 618-20W, on security measures, by how much court capacity has been expanded to deal with existing and anticipated case load relating to terrorism; and how much further expansion is planned.

Harriet Harman: I can confirm that a review is currently taking place on the capacity of the courts to deal with existing and anticipated case load relating to terrorism. The review includes a security upgrade programme of appropriate existing courts, which is already in progress and feasibility studies which have been commissioned to look at any additional court capacity which may be required in the future.

Sexual Offences: Wales

David Simpson: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many people were  (a) prosecuted and  (b) convicted of sexual offences in Wales (i) in total and (ii) broken down by offence in each of the last three years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Data extracted from the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform showing the number of people proceeded against and found guilty of sexual offences in Wales, by offence class, 2003 to 2005 is in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts, for all sexual offences, broken down into Offence Class, in Wales, 2003 to 2005( 1,2) 
			   Proceeded against  Found guilty 
			  Offence class  2003  2004  2005  2003  2004  2005 
			 Buggery 7 3 3 2 2 1 
			 Indecent assault on a male 26 26 10 12 10 5 
			 Indecency between males 2   2   
			 Rape 85 121 92 25 32 22 
			 Indecent assault on a female 138 159 151 71 77 79 
			 Unlawful sexual intercourse with girl under 13 3 17 18 2 2 7 
			 Unlawful sexual intercourse with girl under 16 6 20 38 9 9 21 
			 Incest 1 2 8  2 4 
			 Procuration  2   2  
			 Bigamy 1 1 - 1 1  
			 Soliciting by a man 1  
			 Sexual offences with person with mental disorder  1 1   2 
			 Trafficking for Sexual Exploitation   2   2 
			 Abuse of Trustsexual offences 25 32 22 22 27 20 
			 Gross indecency with a child 13 16 18 16 9 11 
			 Miscellaneous Sexual Offences  17 38  9 27 
			 Total 308 417 401 162 182 201 
			 (1)These data are on the principal offence basis. (2)Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Supreme Court

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 14 June 2007,  Official Report, columns 60-62WS, on the Supreme Court, how much will be spent on  (a) professional adviser fees and  (b) the non-capital element of the fit out costs, including (i) loose furniture, (ii) IT services and (iii) library books.

Vera Baird: As mentioned in the written ministerial statement, 14 June 2007,  Official Report, columns 60-62WS, the set-up costs related to the Middlesex Guildhall are expected to be an additional 14.3 million. These costs will be spread over the five years of the programme and are broken down as follows;
	
		
			  Breakdown of Supreme Court set up costs 
			million 
			  Resource costs  
			 Furniture and artwork 3.4 
			 IT costs 2.6 
			 Decant 1.0 
			 Library 0.3 
			  7.3 
			  Non construction capital costs  
			 Professional and statutory fees 6.2 
			 Surveys 0.4 
			 Furniture removal 0.1 
			 s106 costs 0.1 
			 IT (broadcast and server) 0.2 
			 Total 14.3

Terrorism: Greater London

Frank Field: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice whether the Government is reviewing the cap placed on the level of compensation which victims of the 7/7 bombing may gain from public funds; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Victims of the 7/7 bombings and other terrorist incidents in Great Britain are eligible for compensation under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme on the same basis as other blameless victims of other violent crime in Great Britain.
	In its Green Paper Rebuilding Lives: supporting victims of crime, the Government sought views on a range of proposals for reforming the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme. One of the questions on which views were sought was whether the maximum award limit of 500,000 should be increased.
	Reform of the Scheme is a complex matter. We are considering the issue carefully and will make an announcement in due course.

Young Offenders

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what the purpose was of the visit undertaken by  (a) the governor of HM Young Offender Institution Feltham and  (b) the Deputy Head of Women and Young People's Directorate to Australia in November 2005; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information is as follows:
	 (a) private visit
	 (b) private visit

TREASURY

11 Downing Street: Charities

David Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which of the charities other than the Smith Institute which have organised events at No. 11 Downing Street since 1997 has used it most frequently.

John Healey: holding answer 19 June 2007
	Many charities have used No. 11 on multiple occasions. Any charities who use or want to use 11 Downing Street can apply for more extended access if this is their wish and subject to availability.

Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the  (a) value,  (b) date and  (c) purpose was of each payment made by (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies to Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO in each year since 1997.

John Healey: The Treasury has no record of having made any payments to Abbott Mead Vickers since 2002-03, when a new accounting system was introduced. Information prior to that date could be provided only at disproportionate cost. None of the Department's agencies has any record of payments having been made since 1997.

Accommodation Rule

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what revenue was received from the available accommodation rule in the last full year before its abolition; and what estimate he has made of revenue which would have been received if the rule had applied in 2006-07.

Dawn Primarolo: The estimated revenue was published in the Financial Statement and Budget Report 1993, in table 4.1Direct effects of Budget measures. No more current estimates are available.

Aggregates Levy: Wind Power

Stephen Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much aggregates levy was raised from the construction of wind farms in the latest year for which figures are available.

John Healey: This information is not available; as revenue from this source is not separately identified in aggregates levy returns.

Al-Yamamah Project

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which aspects of the financial arrangements relating to the Al-Yamamah defence contract fell to be approved by his Department since May 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The Treasury's involvement was concerned with the accounting and budgeting arrangements for the management fee received by the Ministry of Defence from the Saudi Arabian Government. The fee covers the costs of the UK Government's involvement in the Al-Yamamah programme. The Treasury reviews such arrangements to ensure that they are in accordance with the principles of Government Accounting.

Birth Rate

Andrew George: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many live births there were in each English region in each year since 1997.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 25 June 2007:
	As the National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your question about how many live births there were in each region of England in each year since 1997. (144287)
	The latest year for which figures are available is 2006. The accompanying table shows numbers of live births in England by Government Office Region for the years 1997 to 2006.
	
		
			  Live Births by Government Office Region( 1)  in England 1997 to 2006 
			  Government Office Region  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 North East 29,404 28,720 27,739 26,499 25,949 26,271 27,005 27,815 28,249 29,184 
			 North West 82,934 81,179 79,065 76,675 75,201 74,641 77,847 81,164 81,722 84,155 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 60,400 59,683 58,212 55,966 55,625 55,535 57,923 60,193 60,665 62,953 
			 East Midlands 48,518 48,339 47,035 45,787 44,642 45,039 46,916 48,245 49,080 50,717 
			 West Midlands 66,695 65,035 63,466 61,497 60,818 61,035 63,694 65,911 65,956 67,688 
			 Eastern 64,788 64,386 62,685 61,186 60,090 60,171 62,711 64,250 64,687 66,864 
			 London 105,587 105,304 105,545 104,695 104,162 105,603 110,437 113,679 116,019 120,883 
			 South East 95,399 95,642 93,646 90,445 88,510 88,082 91,842 93,634 93,921 98,529 
			 South West 54,477 53,823 52,075 50,076 48,747 49,332 51,476 52,293 52,729 54,706 
			 Total England 608,202 602,111 589,468 572,826 563,744 565,709 589,851 607,184 613,028 635,679 
			 (1) Births are assigned to Government Office Region according to the usual residence of the mother at the date of the birth, as stated at registration. The table excludes a small number of live births occurring in England each year to mothers whose usual residence was outside England and Wales.  Source:  Key Population and Vital Statistics, Series VS nos. 23-32. 2006 data from Table 5 at http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=14408 .

British Corps

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 5 June 2007,  Official Report, column 462W, on the British Corps, whether the Chancellor's announcement on the British Corps referred to the work of the Russell Commission and charity V.

Dawn Primarolo: Yes. On 31 January 2005, the Chancellor gave a speech at the HM Treasury Volunteering Conference, referring to consideration of a new British corps, which trailed the expected outcomes of the Russell Commission report on youth action and engagement. The Russell Commission reported in March 2005 and the Government endorsed the recommendations in Budget 2005. V was established in May 2006 to take forward the recommendations.

Capital Gains Tax

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the net effect on annual Treasury revenues of abolishing taper relief for capital gains tax.

Dawn Primarolo: Estimates of the cost of capital gains tax taper relief for individuals and trusts for 2005-06 and 2006-07 on an accruals basis were published in Table A3.1 of the Budget Report 2007. The figures exclude any behavioural change caused by the abolition of taper relief.

Cash Dispensing: Fees and Charges

David Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer at which locations in Wales free-of-charge ATMs are  (a) installed and  (b) yet to be installed under the free cash machines in low-income areas scheme.

Edward Balls: As I announced on 19 June, excellent progress has been made towards the goal of providing over 600 new free ATMs across 1,707 low-income target areas identified by the ATM working group as lacking convenient access. I am pleased to say that of the 198 low-income target areas in Wales, 95 are now expected to benefit from convenient access to free cash withdrawals as a result of free new cash machines already in operation or under contract to be installed. I have made available specific details about the location of new free ATMs installed and outstanding target areas still requiring free ATMs in Wales in the Library of the House.

Cash Dispensing: North East Region

Nick Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his working group has taken on the super output areas identified by the Treasury Committee as not having access to free cash machines in Newcastle East and Wallsend.

Edward Balls: As I announced on 19 June, the industry has made excellent progress towards the goal of providing over 600 new free ATMs across 1,707 target areas identified by the ATM working group as lacking convenient access. I am pleased to say that two new machines are now under contract for installation in East Newcastle and Wallsend. These are expected to provide all the super output areas within East Newcastle and Wallsend with convenient access to free cash withdrawals. I will be writing to my right hon. Friend the Member for Newcastle upon Tyne, East and Wallsend shortly with further details about the new machines.

Census

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what new information attributes the 2007 Census Test is collecting on  (a) individuals and  (b) their properties.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 25 June 2007:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what new information attributes the 2007 Census Test is collecting on (a) individuals and (b) their properties. (145236)
	The questions being asked in the Test are the result of wide consultation with users of Census statistics. Census data is of crucial importance for local and national planning and resource allocation. The Office for National Statistics seeks to prioritise the competing user needs and develop questions which are acceptable to the majority of respondents. The Test provides the opportunity to test new and updated questions, and the Test questions are not necessarily those which will be included in the Census in 2011.
	Those topics or questions which are new for the Census Test are:-
	a) Individuals
	Q4 Expanded marital status question to include civil partnership
	Q8 Month and year of entry into UK;
	Q10 Nature of long standing health condition;
	Q12 National identity;
	Q15 Language Proficiency;
	Q16 Frequency of use of Welsh (in Wales only);
	Q17 Second Residence;
	Q18 Type of Second Residence;
	Q19 Time spent at second residence;
	Q28 Sources of income;
	Q29 Income.
	b) Properties
	H6 Accommodation type has an additional response option for 'linked by garage'.
	H10 State of Repair
	The Census Test is about much more than testing of questions. The key aims of the Census Test are to:
	assess the feasibility of the major innovations in the proposed 2011 Census design;
	assess the effectiveness of new address questions and residence definitions to capture multi-residence information:
	further advance understanding of the drivers of, and barriers to, public response, in particular to assess the effect on response of the inclusion of a question on income and the use of post-out to deliver questionnaires;
	assess the effectiveness of different enumeration approaches in maximising response for different population and area types;
	develop a detailed understanding of the requirements of business systems to support the census operation and the interfaces between them;
	assess the performance of alternative suppliers as part of the procurement of services for the 2011 Census;
	develop effective ways of working with local authorities to improve the enumeration process.

Child Benefit: Overseas Residence

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how much was paid in child benefit to parents in respect of children living abroad in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many applications for child benefit were received in respect of children living overseas in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available;
	(3)  how much was paid in child tax credit to parents in respect of children living overseas in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) by my right. hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 12 June 2007,  Official Report, column 943W.

Child Benefit: Overseas Residence

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many applications for child tax credit were received by the international claims processing section of HM Revenue and Customs in respect of children living abroad in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Dawn Primarolo: This information is not available.

Children: Death

David Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many deaths there were following recorded injuries of children aged  (a) 0 to four,  (b) five to eight,  (c) nine to 12 and  (d) 13 to 16 years which took place (i) in the home, (ii) at school, (iii) in hospital, (iv) on a sports ground or other place where sporting activities occur, (v) in public parks and (vi) in other places in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many deaths there were following recorded injuries of children aged  (a) 0 to four,  (b) five to eight,  (c) nine to 12 and  (d) 13 to 16 years in each year since 1997;
	(3)  how many deaths there were of children aged  (a) zero to four,  (b) five to eight,  (c) nine to 12 and  (d) 13 to 16 years in each year since 1997.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 25 June 2007:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your four recent questions about deaths of children listed here:
	How many deaths there have been following recorded injuries of children aged (a) 0 to four, (b) five to eight, (c) nine to 12 and (d) 13 to 16 years which have taken place (i) in the home, (ii) at school, (iii) in hospital, (iv) on a sports ground or other place where sporting activities occur, (v) in public parks and (vi) in other places in each year since 1997; (144259)
	how many deaths there have been following recorded injuries of children aged (a) 0 to four, (b) five to eight, (c) nine to 12 and (d) 13 to 16 years in each year since 1997; (144262)
	how many fatalities there were of children aged (a) zero to four, (b) five to eight, (c) nine to 12 and (d) 13 to 16 years in each year since 1997; (144278)
	how many fatalities there were of children aged (a) zero to four, (b) five to eight, (c) nine to 12 and (d) 13 to 16 years where the cause of death occurred in (i) the home, (ii) at school, (iii) in hospital, (iv) on a sports ground or similar space where sporting activities occur, (v) public parks and (vi) other places in each year since 1997. (144277)
	Not all of the information you requested exists. The Office for National Statistics does not collect information on recorded injuries but does collect data on all registered deaths, including those with an underlying cause of injury, categorised by coroner's verdictaccident, intentional self-harm, homicide, and injury of undetermined intent. Information on place of occurrence of death is collected at registration for all deaths.
	However, information on place of occurrence of the cause of death (i.e. where the person was when they were injured or became ill) is only collected on coroner's certificates of cause of death after inquest for deaths from injury and poisoning with a verdict of accident (including misadventure). The coroner is asked to select one often pre-specified categories of 'place where the accident occurred'.
	The place of accident is then coded by ONS according to the revision of the International Classification of Diseases in use at the time (Ninth Revision 'ICD-9' from 1979 to 2000, and Tenth Revision 'ICD-10' since 2001). 'Home' and 'place of sport or recreation', are specified categories in both revisions, but school and hospital are not. They are subsumed in much larger categories: both are in 'public building' in ICD-10, but hospital was classified in 'resident institution' in ICD-9. Place of occurrence of injury is not coded in the same way for deaths from transport accidents, but the vast majority of these are motor vehicle accidents, and for most the place of accident would be street or highway. We have shown transport accidents separately in attached tables.
	The tables below show the number of deaths in children by age group for all deaths, and deaths with a coroner's verdict of accident by place of occurrence of accident, between 1997 and 2005 in England and Wales.
	
		
			  Table 1:  N umber of deaths in children by age group from all causes and deaths with a coroner's verdict of accident( 1)  England and Wales, 1997-2005( 2) 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			  All deaths  
			 0 to four(3) 4,509 4,347 4,326 3,958 3,828 3,678 3,892 3,734 3,760 
			 Five to eight 356 344 316 301 313 285 274 251 230 
			 Nine to 12 381 344 344 342 284 308 306 273 274 
			 13 to 16 625 587 537 502 570 562 506 516 485 
			   
			  Accidental deaths  
			 0 to four(4) 138 147 141 118 117 104 115 97 88 
			 Five to eight 69 42 60 50 47 46 40 25 32 
			 Nine to 12 100 90 84 83 56 61 49 59 46 
			 13 to 16 198 163 149 160 177 142 140 150 148 
			 (1) Selected using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes E800-E928 for the years 1997 to 2000 and Tenth Revision (LCD-10) codes V01-X59, Y40-Y84from 2001 onwards. (2) Figures are for occurrences of death in each calendar year. (3) Includes neonatal deaths (deaths occurring within the first 28 days of life). (4) Excludes neonatal deaths (deaths occurring within the first 28 days of life) as, since 1986, a single underlying cause of death is not known for these deaths. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2a:  N umber of deaths in children by age group with a coroner's verdict of accident( 1)  by place of occurrence of injury, England and Wales, 1997-2000( 2) 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000 
			  At home 
			 0 to four(3) 70 81 85 68 
			 Five to eight 10 7 10 12 
			 Nine to 12 13 16 11 13 
			 13 to 16 26 24 21 23 
			  
			  Place for recreation and sport( 4) 
			 0 to four(3) 0 0 1 2 
			 Five to eight 5 1 3 0 
			 Nine to 12 3 4 5 1 
			 13 to 16 5 2 3 4 
			  
			  Public building( 5) 
			 0 to four(3) 1 1 0 0 
			 Five to eight 4 2 0 1 
			 Nine to 12 0 1 1 0 
			 13 to 16 1 2 2 1 
			  
			  Other specified and unspecified place( 6) 
			 0 to four(3) 22 21 27 17 
			 Five to eight 9 6 7 9 
			 Nine to 12 13 13 10 14 
			 13 to 16 25 26 14 21 
			  
			  Transport accidents( 7) 
			 0 to four(3) 45 44 28 31 
			 Five to eight 41 26 40 28 
			 Nine to 12 71 56 57 55 
			 13 to 16 141 109 109 111 
			 (1) Selected using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes E850-E928. (2) Figures are for occurrences of death in each calendar year. (3) Excludes neonatal deaths (deaths occurring within the first 28 days of life) as, since 1986, a single underlying cause of death is not known for these deaths. (4) Selected using 4(th) digit of ICD-9 code. 0. (5) Selected using 4(th) digit of ICD-9 code. 4 and includes public park and playground, including school playground. (6) Selected using 4(th) digit of ICD-9 code .6. (7) Selected using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes E880-E848. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2b:  N umber of deaths in children by age group with a coroner's verdict of accident( 1)  by place of occurrence of injury, England and Wales, 2001-05( 2) 
			   2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			  At home  
			 0 to four(3) 66 59 69 55 48 
			 Five to eight 11 15 8 6 9 
			 Nine to 12 9 13 16 9 12 
			 13 to 16 25 24 19 18 12 
			   
			  Sports and athletics area( 4)  
			 0 to four(3) 0 1 0 0 0 
			 Five to eight 1 0 0 0 0 
			 Nine to 12 1 3 0 0 0 
			 13 to 16 5 0 2 1 0 
			   
			  School, other institution and public administrative area( 5)  
			 0 to four(3) 0 1 0 1 1 
			 Five to eight 0 0 1 0 0 
			 Nine to 12 1 0 0 0 1 
			 13 to 16 2 0 2 0 1 
			   
			  Other specified and unspecified place( 6)  
			 0 to four(3) 15 15 23 19 14 
			 Five to eight 2 6 10 5 6 
			 Nine to 12 5 7 4 9 7 
			 13 to 16 24 19 20 14 33 
			   
			  Transport accidents( 7)  
			 0 to four(3) 36 28 23 22 25 
			 Five to eight 33 25 21 14 17 
			 Nine to 12 40 38 29 41 26 
			 13 to 16 121 99 97 117 102 
			 (1) Selected using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes WOO-X59, Y40-Y84. (2) Figures are for occurrences of death in each calendar year. (3) Excludes neonatal deaths (deaths occurring within the first 28 days of life) as, since 1986, a single underlying cause of death is not known for these deaths. (4) Selected using 4(th) digit of ICD-10 code . 0. (5) Selected using 4(th) digit of ICD-10 code .3 and excludes public park and playground. (6) Selected using 4(th) digit of ICD-10 code .2. (7) Selected using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes V01-V99.

Council Tax Benefits: Scotland

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the funds allocated to the Scottish Executive for council tax benefit will continue to be made available for the equivalent purpose to the Scottish Administration if the Administration moves ahead with plans to replace council tax.

Dawn Primarolo: Council tax benefit is a reserved matter.

Council Tax: Valuation

Michael Gove: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many  (a) road wheels and  (b) measuring tapes the Valuation Office Agency has purchased in the last 36 months; and what the cost has been.

Dawn Primarolo: The information is as follows.
	 (a) Measuring Road Wheels36 at a cost of 2,934
	 (b) Measuring Tapes111 at a cost of 1,075

Cox Review

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps have been taken to implement the five key recommendations of the 2005 Cox Review.

Margaret Hodge: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government are working closely with the Design Council to ensure that the five key recommendations of Sir George Cox's Review of creativity in business are implemented effectively. Good progress is being made in all five areas:
	Raising the awareness, understanding and performance by making widely available a Design Programme for BusinessRegional Development Agencies are committed to implementing the Design Council's Designing Demand Programme and a full roll out across UK regions is expected by end 2007-08. The programme has already been rolled out in South Yorkshire, South East and West Midlands.
	Educating the next generation of business leaders, creative specialists and engineers while in higher educationThe Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) is appraising applications from six Higher Education Institutions to act as Centres of Excellence for the development of multidisciplinary courses. In May 2007 HEFCE awarded funding towards 5.8 million for the first centre of excellence, in London. Design-London at RCA-Imperial will create an 'innovation triangle' between design (represented by the Royal College of Art), engineering and technology (represented by Imperial College Faculty of Engineering) and the business of innovation (represented by Imperial's Tanaka Business School).
	Improving effectiveness of R and D Tax creditsSpecialist units within HMRC launched in November 2006 are improving the consistency and certainty for firms claiming the R and D tax credit. Furthermore, in Budget 2007 the Government announced that it intends to increase the support available under R and D tax credits. The rate of relief for large companies will increase to 130 per cent. of qualifying R and D expenditure. In the case of the SME R and D tax credit scheme, the rate of relief will increase to 175 per cent. for companies claiming enhanced deductions against profits. The value of the payable credit available will remain broadly at its current value (24 per cent. of qualifying expenditure). The SME credit will also be extended to companies with 250-500 employees. Changes to the SME scheme are subject to State Aid clearance by the European Commission.
	Raising the profile of the UK's creative capabilities through a network of Centres of Creativity across the UKA feasibility study by the London Development Agency (LDA) concluded that there is a strong case for an International Design-Business Exchange to act as an international market place for design led innovation, ideas and expertise. The Design Council is working with the LDA on how a prototype programme might operate.
	Maximising the power of public sector procurement by encouraging more imaginative solutions from suppliersThe Office of Government Commerce is leading on this recommendation and there has been positive activity on early procurer engagement with suppliers, simplifying pre-qualification and forthcoming guidance on finding and procuring innovative solutions.

Crown Estate: Research

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the value was of applications made to the Crown Estate's Research Committee for research proposals in financial years 2005-06 and 2006-07; how many applications were made for funding; what the value of research funding allocated was; and how many applications were successful in each of those years.

John Healey: The Crown Estate does not invite open applications for research, rather, areas of research are decided by the Crown Estate through discussions with industry.
	The figures for research funding are:
	
		
			  000 
			   2004-05  2005-06 
			 Scottish Aquaculture Research Fund 100 100 
			 Aquaculture Research Fund 100 196 
			 Offshore Research Fund 97 120 
		
	
	Financial information for 2006-07 is not yet available.
	It has been drawn to my attention that the answer given by the former Financial Secretary on 14 September 2004,  Official Report, column 1506W, was incorrect. The figures given in that answer were for applications for funding from the Communities and Renewables Fund which finances community projects in areas where there are marine renewable energy developments; and from the Marine Stewardship Fund, which funds community initiatives that further good management of the marine estate. These are not applications for research. As stated above, funding for research comes from the Scottish Aquaculture Research Fund, the Aquaculture Research Fund and the Offshore Research Fund.
	The table includes the revised figures for 2004-05.

Debts: Developing Countries

Brian Iddon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the amount of money from the UK public purse which has been lost to vulture funds from aid paid  (a) directly to other countries and  (b) through the EU.

Edward Balls: My right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, made a statement on 10 May, setting out actions the Government are taking to tackle the problem of so-called vulture funds. As he made clear, we are deeply concerned by the extent to which aggressively litigating creditors deplete the resources of developing countries, that might otherwise be used for productive social expenditures and poverty reduction. We are also concerned that these creditors are free-riding on the efforts of the international community, including through the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative and the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative (MDRI), to cancel the debts of the world's poorest countries.
	Along with debt relief, the UK provides direct bilateral development assistance and multilateral development assistance, including through the EU, to the world's poorest countries. These countries also have other sources of revenuenot least from domestic taxation. In these circumstances, it is not possible for us to quantify a loss to the UK public purse. However, I share my hon. Friend's concern about the diversion of the limited resources of these countries away from productive social expenditures.

Defence: Finance

Mark Harper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the virements between different sections within  (a) Request for Resources (RfR) 1: Provision of Defence Capability and  (b) RfR 2: Conflict Prevention he (i) agreed and (ii) refused for financial years 2001-02 to 2006-07.

Stephen Timms: Where HMT has approved virements within MOD RfRs they are listed in winter and spring supplementaries. These can be found at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/documents/public_spending _reporting/estimates/psr_estimates_supplementary.cfm
	Records of any virements that have been refused are not routinely retained.

Departments: Aviation

Mark Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many flights to overseas destinations were taken by  (a) civil servants and  (b) Ministers in his Department in each of the last three calendar years; and what the total cost of such flights was.

John Healey: Information relating to 2005 and 2006 is given as follows:
	
		
			  Calendar year  Number of trips by air  Total cost () 
			 2005 835 959,393 
			 2006 753 1,052,232 
		
	
	Information for 2004 and the breakdown requested of flights by Ministers and officials are not available.
	Since 1999, the Government have published annually a list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing 500 or more during each financial year. The Government have also published each year since 1995-96 the total annual cost of all Ministers' visits overseas. Copies of the lists are available in the Libraries of the House.

Departments: Buildings

Grant Shapps: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost of leasing buildings and office space was for  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies in each of the last five years.

John Healey: The cost of leasing buildings and office space for the Department and its agencies in each of the last five years is given in the following table:
	
		
			  000 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 HM Treasury n/a 439 423 436 475 
			 Debt Management Office 1,130 1,569 1,553 1,566 1,605 
			 Office of Government Commerce 5,250 5,786 5,176 5,469 5,867 
			 Office of Government Commercevacant residual estate holdings 9,385 4,018 3,553 1,403 1,379

Departments: Databases

Mark Harper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of the schema for his Department's Combined Online Information System database.

John Healey: I have arranged for a listing of the Combined Online Information System (COINS) dimensions to be placed in the Library. The listing provided sets out, in a readable form, the structures within which data are held on the database.
	Information on public expenditure plans and outturn from the COINS database is provided to Parliament, and the public more widely, in the form of a range of publications. These publications, copies of which are held in the House of Commons Library, include:
	Main Estimates
	Budgets and Spending Reviews
	Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses (PESA) and
	Departmental Reports

Departments: DVDs

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which DVDs have been produced by his Department in the last 12 months; how many copies of such DVDs were produced; and what the cost to the public purse was of the  (a) development,  (b) production and  (c) distribution of each DVD.

John Healey: In the last 12 months HM Treasury has produced one e-learning DVD as part of a pan government project for the National School of Government at a total cost of 50,000. There were 150 copies of this DVD produced.

Departments: Energy

Mark Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many energy saving lightbulbs were purchased by his Department for use on the departmental estate in  (a) 2005 and  (b) 2006.

John Healey: Light bulbs for the Treasury building are purchased by our PFI service provider. For details of the lighting in 1 Horse Guards Road, I refer to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Rayleigh (Mr. Francois) on 12 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1841.

Departments: Foreign Relations

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many memoranda of understanding are in force as a result of agreements with foreign governments entered into by Ministers in his Department; and what executive actions each entails.

John Healey: The information requested is not retained centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate costs.

Departments: Marketing

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which promotional items were produced by or for his Department in each of the last three years.

John Healey: The information requested is not readily available and could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Marketing

Theresa May: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what advertising and marketing campaigns have been run by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies in each of the last five years; which external agencies were involved; and what the cost was of each campaign.

David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent by his Department on advertising in the last 12 months.

John Healey: For the costs of advertising in the past five years, I refer to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) today. In addition to those costs, direct marketing spend by National Savings and Investments was as follows:
	
		
			   000 
			 2002-03 5,968 
			 2003-04 3,626 
			 2004-05 6,471 
			 2005-06 4,405 
			 2006-07 3,422 
		
	
	National Savings and Investments' advertising and marketing campaigns promote their products, including Premium Bonds, Index Linked Savings Certificates, the Guaranteed Equity Bond and Children's Bonus Bonds, using Chick Smith Trott and OMD UK.
	The main campaigns run by HM Revenue and Customs have been on self assessment, tax credits, the child trust fund, and the helpline for the newly self employed. The main agencies used have been MCBD, M and C Saatchi, and United London.

Departments: Ministerial Policy

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 5 June 2007,  Official Report, column 465W, on Departments: Ministerial policy advisers, what procedures govern the use of Government resources by his special advisers as part of his leadership campaign;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 5 June 2007,  Official Report, column 465W, on Departments: Ministerial policy advisers, and the Cabinet Secretary's letter of May 2007, whether any costs of his leadership campaign have been  (a) incurred and  (b) reimbursed by his Department.

John Healey: All Treasury officials and advisers conduct is in line with the requirements of the Civil Service and Special Advisers' Codes. Special advisers' involvement in party political matters is conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers (available at www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk), including paragraph 7 on the use of official resources, and the guidance issued by the Cabinet Secretary in December 2006 and May 2007, copies of which are available in the Library of the House.

Departments: Mobile Phones

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost was of the mobile phone bill for his departmental special advisers in each of the last two years.

John Healey: The Treasury's accounting records do not separate mobile phone costs from other telecoms costs, and costs incurred by special advisers are not recorded separately from the telecoms costs of civil servants.

Departments: Northern Ireland

David Lidington: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of the concordat governing the relationship between his Department and the Northern Ireland Administration.

Stephen Timms: The principles set out in the Memorandum of Understanding and Supplementary Agreements between the UK Government, Scottish Ministers, the Cabinet of the National Assembly for Wales and the Northern Ireland Executive, published in 2001, continue to underpin our working relationship with the Northern Ireland Executive. My Department has a Concordat with the Northern Ireland Executive in place and I have arranged for a copy to be placed in the Library of the House.

Departments: Older Workers

David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of staff in his Department were over 60 years of age in each of the last three years.

John Healey: The percentage of staff in HM Treasury aged 60 and over is as follows:
	
		
			  Year (as at 1 April)  Staff (percentage) 
			 2007 0.6 
			 2006 0.2 
			 2005 0.2

Departments: Older Workers

David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people aged  (a) over 55 years of age and  (b) over 60 years of age have been recruited by his Department in each of the last three years; and what percentage in each case this is of the number of new recruits in each year.

John Healey: The number and percentage of new recruits in HM Treasury in the 55+ and 60+ age categories are contained in the following table:
	
		
			   All recruits aged 55 to 59  All recruits aged 60+ 
			   Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage 
			 2006-07 3 1 1 0.3 
			 2005-06 3 0.9 1 0.3 
			 2004-05 3 0.9 1 0.3

Departments: Publicity

Grant Shapps: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent on advertising by  (a) the Department and  (b) its non-departmental agencies in each of the last five years.

John Healey: The information requested is in the following table.
	
		
			  000 
			  Departments/Agencies  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 HM Treasury(1) 126 210 151 3,151 231 
			 Debt Management Office(2) 284 375 194 217 256 
			 Office of Government Commerce 148 311 284 175 1 101 
			 OGCbuying.solutions(3)   222 337 314 
			 Government Actuary's Department 17 40 24 4 63 
			 Valuation Office Agency(4) 145 238 617 247 150 
			 HM Revenue and Customs(5) 16,300 14,400 15,200 22,400 14,700 
			 Royal Mint(6)  
			 National Savings and Investments(7) 3,953 1,705 3,802 10,596 1 8,368 
			 Office of National Statistics(8) 825 516 491 364 1 518 
			 (1) The Treasury's costs of 3,115,000 for 2005-06 include 3,032,000 relating to a media campaign for stakeholder savings and investment products.  (2) The DMO's costs include advertising the issuances of gilt-edged securities.  (3) Information for OGCbuying.solutions for 2002-03 and 2004-05 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.  (4) The VGA's 2004-05 figure includes 321,000 relating to the Summary Valuations Public Information Campaign.  (5) Figures shown for HM Revenue and Customs for the years prior to 2005-06 are the aggregate of the former Inland Revenue and HM Customs and Excise.  (6) Figures for The Royal Mint have been excluded from the answer as they are commercially sensitive.  (7) National Savings and Investments costs for 2005-06 and 2006-07 include NS and I's television advertising campaign.  (8) Figures for the Office for National Statistics include promotion and publicity. Advertising could be disaggregated at disproportionate cost only.

Departments: Surveys

David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff surveys his Department undertook in the last 12 months; and at what total cost.

John Healey: HM Treasury conducts an annual staff attitude survey and quarterly management surveys. Information relating to the costs of these surveys is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

EC Budget

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what financial contribution  (a) the UK and  (b) each other member state is expected to make to the European Union in 2008.

Edward Balls: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove) on 31 January 2006,  Official Report, columns 398-400W, which gives an estimate of United Kingdom gross and net contributions to the EC Budget in 2008.
	Updated calendar year estimates for the United Kingdom's contributions to the EC Budget will be published annually in the Government's 'European Community Finances' White Paper. The 2007 edition of this White Paper (Cm 7090) was published on 22 May 2007.
	HM Treasury does not, as a matter of course, forecast the gross and net contributions of all the other member states as this is a matter for their respective Governments. Figures for the 2008 gross contribution of each member state will be included in the 2008 EC adopted budget which will be published in the European Commission's Official Journal, L (Legislation) series, in due course.

EC Budget

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much the UK contributed to the Central European Fund in 2006; and what the contributions made by other European member states were in that year.

Edward Balls: I am unaware of the Central European Fund. However, figures for the United Kingdom's gross contribution, after taking account of the UK abatement, to the EC Budget in 2006 can be found in Table 3 (page 47) of the European Community Finances White Paper (Cm 7090) published on 22 May 2007. European Commission estimates of all member states' gross contributions, after taking account of the UK abatement, to the 2006 EC Budget can also be found in this White Paper (Tables 2A ( million), page 45, and 2B ( million), page 46).

Employment: Graduates

Boris Johnson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the employment rate is of  (a) women and  (b) men of (i) white, (ii) Afro-Caribbean and (iii) Asian ethnicity who graduated in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 25 June 2007:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about the employment rates for (a) women and (b) men, who are of (i) Afro-Caribbean and (ii) Asian ethnicity who graduated in each of the last five years, (145397)
	The attached table shows the working age employment rates by gender and ethnicity among the people who graduated with a degree in the years 2000 to 2004. These rates are from the Annual Population Survey (APS) for the twelve months period ending December 2005.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. This is particularly true for the employment rates of some ethnic groups.
	
		
			  Employment rates( 1)  for graduates( 2)  of working age( 3)  by ethnic origin, gender and year of graduationUnited Kingdom 
			12 months ending December 2005 (percentage) 
			  Year of graduation  All persons  Men  Women 
			  2000
			 White 93 95 91 
			 Asian or Asian British(4) 91 98 83 
			 Black or Black British(5) 96 100 91 
			 
			  2001
			 White 94 94 94 
			 Asian or Asian British(4) 85 88 81 
			 Black or Black British(5) 69 87 59 
			 
			  2002
			 White 91 93 89 
			 Asian or Asian British(4) 78 84 71 
			 Black or Black British(5) 73 83 67 
			 
			  2003
			 White 85 84 86 
			 Asian or Asian British(4) 82 68 95 
			 Black or Black- British(5) 77 65 84 
			 
			  2004
			 White 85 85 85 
			 Asian or Asian British(4) 76 73 80 
			 Black or Black British(5) 82 79 86 
			 (1) Total in employment as a percentage of all persons in the relevant ethnic group. (2) People whose highest qualification is degree level or above. (3) Men aged 16 to 64 and women aged 16 to 59. (4) Includes people of Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi origin. (5) Includes Black-Caribbean, Black-African and Black-other.  Source: ONS Annual Population Survey (APS)

Employment: Lancashire

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in West Lancashire were recorded as being in full-time employment in the financial year ending  (a) March 1997 and  (b) March 2007; and how many were women in each case.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 25 June 2007:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people in West Lancashire were recorded as being in full-time employment in the financial year ending (a) March 1997 and (b) March 2007; and how many were women in each case. (144973)
	The Office for National Statistics compiles employment statistics for local areas from the annual local area Labour Force Survey (LFS) and the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation definitions.
	Estimates of the number of people in full-time employment, resident in the West Lancashire constituency, as well as all the other parliamentary constituencies in Great Britain, was provided in an Answer on 3rd May 2007 (Hansard: column 1806W-1807W, reference 135561).
	There were 10,000 women, aged 16 and over, resident in the West Lancashire constituency, in full-time employment for the 12 month period ending in February 1997 based on data from the annual local area LFS. The corresponding estimate, for the 12 months ending in September 2006, the latest available data from the APS, was 11,000.
	As these estimates are for a subset of the population in small geographical areas, they are based on small sample sizes, and are therefore subject to large margins of uncertainty.

Employment: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many Warrington residents were in employment  (a) in April 1997 and  (b) at the latest date for which figures are available.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 25 June 2007:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your parliamentary question asking how many Warrington residents were in employment  (a) in April 1997 and  (b) the latest date for which figures are available. (145468).
	The Office for National Statistics compiles employment statistics from local areas from the annual local area labour force survey (LFS) and the annual population survey (APS) following international labour organisation definitions.
	There ware 91,000 people., aged 16 and over, in employment, resident in the Warrington unitary authority, for the 12 months ending February 1997, from the local area LFS. There were 97,000 people aged 16 and over, in employment, resident in the Warrington unitary authority, for the 12 months ending September 2006, from the latest available data from the APS. The corresponding headline employment rates, for persons of working age (males aged 16:to 64 and females aged 16 to 59) are 75 per cent. for the 12 months ending February 1997 and 78 per cent. for the 12 months ending in September 2006.
	As these estimates are for a subset of the population in small geographical areas, they are based on small sample sizes, and are therefore subject to large margins of uncertainty.

First-time Buyers

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department is taking to help more first-time home buyers.

John Healey: The Government recognise concerns over housing affordability, particularly amongst first-time buyers, and is acting to alleviate these pressures on various fronts including by tackling supply constraints; bringing forward public sector land for development; increasing the starting threshold for stamp duty land tax; building more social housing; and helping people into home ownership through supporting shared equity schemes. The Treasury is working with Departments across Government in support of this agenda.

Foundation Degrees

Boris Johnson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the employment rate is of those who completed foundation degrees and did not go on to higher education in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 25 June 2007:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about the employment rate for those who completed a foundation degree but did not go on to higher education in the last five years. (145396)
	The attached table shows the working age employment rate for those who completed a foundation degree and did not go on to higher education. The table gives estimates for the three months to December in each year from 2004 to 2006. Information is not available prior to 2004. The data have not been seasonally adjusted.
	Estimates are taken from the Labour Force Survey (LFS), As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	
		
			  Employment rates( 1)  of people of working age( 2)  who have completed foundation degrees( 3)  and not continued with higher education, 2004 to 2006United Kingdom, not seasonally adjusted 
			  Percentage 
			   All persons  Men  Women 
			 2004 88 92 82 
			 2005 90 92 87 
			 2006 87 86 87 
			 (1) Total in employment as a percentage of all people of working age who completed foundation degrees. (2) Men aged 16 to 64 and women aged 16 to 59. (3) Includes some people who after studying for a foundation degree, then went back to studying for a lower qualification or other vocational qualification.  Source: Labour Force Survey (LFS)

HM Revenue and Customs: East Kilbridge

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the local office of HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is required to be able to give definitive advice to Arun  (a) district council as grantor and  (b) councillors as grantees on the tax position relating to the take-up of the 500 council grant for members towards the purchase of a personal computer for council work; what targets the office has been set for technical experts returning calls; when the HMRC employers' Contact Us and Send An Email webpage will cease to display the message that an email service cannot be offered; when Arun district council will receive a response from HMRC East Kilbridge Glasgow office's compliance officers; if he will take steps to ensure that HMRC resolves the matter with Arun district council; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: HMRC has customer service targets across all of its main lines of business. For post, the target is to deal with 80 per cent. of correspondence within 15 days and 95 per cent. within 40 days. Since you asked your question HMRC has been in touch with Arun district council and the issue is being dealt with.
	The HMRC website tells its customers the services which are available including the latest position on which services are offered by email. The website is updated regularly.

HM Revenue and Customs: Job Satisfaction

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the morale of  (a) tax credits staff and  (b) all HM Revenue and Customs staff in (i) November 2006, (ii) May 2006, (iii) November 2005 and (iv) May 2005; what assessment he has made of trends in morale; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: HMRC takes the morale and well-being of its staff very seriously. It conducts a staff survey twice a year, which questions a sample of all staff.
	Results for surveys conducted in May and November 2005 and 2006 are published on the HMRC Internet at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/research/.

HM Revenue and Customs: Manpower

John McDonnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many post reductions there were in HM Revenue and Customs in each of the last three financial years, broken down by grade.

Dawn Primarolo: The changes in numbers of staff in post by grade in HMRC since 1 April 2004 are shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Full-time equivalent units in post  (as at 1 April each year)  Increase/(decrease) in year 
			   2004  2005  2006  2007  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 SCS 401 395 384 396 (6) (11) 12 
			 Grade 6 1,180 1,194 1,129 1,067 14 (65) (62) 
			 Grade 7 2,290 2,355 2,281 2,257 64 (74) (24) 
			 Fast Stream 156 196 707 652 41 511 (54) 
			 Senior Officer 4,429 4,468 4,089 3,862 39 (379) (226) 
			 Higher Officer 12,249 12,479 11,282 10,719 231 (1,197) (564) 
			 Officer 24,905 25,152 23,551 22,161 247 (1,601) (1,390) 
			 Asst Officer 36,275 32,006 35,859 35,258 (4,269) 3,853 (602) 
			 Admin Asst 16,484 18,828 13,607 12,564 2,344 (5,221) (1,043) 
			 Total 98,369 97,073 92,888 88,936 (1,296) (4,185) (3,953) 
		
	
	Figures for 2004-05 are based on the figures for HM Customs and Excise and Inland Revenue prior to the formation of HMRC.
	The Department's staffing baseline at 1 April 2004 is now 97,755 after adjustment for machinery of government changes and changes in the definitions of published data.

HM Revenue and Customs: Pay

John McDonnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent on bonus payments made to senior civil servants in HM Revenue and Customs in 2006-07.

Dawn Primarolo: During 2006-07 bonus payments totalling 1,913,547 were made to senior civil servants in HM Revenue and Customs.

HM Revenue and Customs: Public Expenditure

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to publish the HM Revenue and Customs 2006-07 accounts; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: HMRC plans to lay its 2006-07 accounts before the House rises for the summer recess.

HM Revenue and Customs: Public Expenditure

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for which years since 1996 the Comptroller and Auditor General has qualified his opinion of the Trust Statements of  (a) HM Revenue and Customs and  (b) the Inland Revenue; for what reason in each case; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: This information is available in the Comptroller and Auditor General's Certificate and Report on the Trust Statements which can be found at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/about/reports.htm

HM Revenue and Customs: Standards

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what performance targets apply to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) on the time taken to process claims for tax rebate from receipt of application to settlement of claim; what assessment he has made of recent levels of compliance with those targets; and what assessment he has made of the compliance of HMRC, Centre 1, East Kilbride with the targets in the latest period for which figures are available.

Dawn Primarolo: HM Revenue and Customs target is to deal with 97 per cent. of formal repayment claims, from customers outside PAYE or Self Assessment who have had tax deducted from investment income, within 15 days. All such repayment claims are now dealt with in HMRC's Leicester office and HMRC currently meets the published target. HMRC do not have specific targets in respect of repayment claims from other contact with customers.

Housing: Environment Protection

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what the budget is for the eco-towns programme;
	(2)  what funding his Department is providing for his proposed eco-towns programme.

John Healey: The Government are committed to delivering sustainable housing growth, and announced at Budget 2006 an ambition that all new homes would be zero carbon within a decade. The Department for Communities and Local Government have said they will consider plans for eco-towns put forward by local authorities. Funding for eco-towns and housing growth more generally is a matter for the Comprehensive Spending Review.

IBM

James Gray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer who directed that Mr. Attwood and Mr. Bishop of Inland Revenue should undertake a review in August 1999 of the hon. Member for North Wiltshire's constituent Mr. Gerard Churchhouse's contribution to the transfer pricing review of IBM; and whether the report of the review still exists.

Dawn Primarolo: Due to HM Revenue and Custom's statutory duty of confidentiality it is not possible to comment on any aspect of IBM's affairs nor confirm whether any particular document exists.

Immigration

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many representations  (a) his Department and  (b) the Office for National Statistics has received from local authorities on the accuracy of the Government's immigration statistics; what funds he has made available to local authorities to deal with the demands of immigration; and on what formula such funds were distributed.

John Healey: HM Treasury and the Office for National Statistics (ONS) have received representations from local authorities about the ONS's population estimates and population projections used in the local government finance settlements, some of which cover the estimation of the international migration component.
	The ONS announced planned improvements to the methods for estimating the international migration component of local authority population estimates in August 2006.
	The amount of money apportioned to all local authorities is based to a large degree upon the local population (including long-term migrants). The formula that Communities and Local Government use for apportioning this sum between individual local authorities can be found at:
	http://www.local.odpm.gov.uk/finance/0607/grant.htm

Income Tax

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will estimate the number of people who will be subject to a higher marginal rate of taxation as a result of Budget 2007 in each year from 2007-08 to 2009-10; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will estimate the number of people who will pay more income tax as a result of Budget 2007 in each year from 2007-08 to 2009-10; and if he will make a statement.

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of people  (a) whose income will be reduced by the abolition of the 10p income tax rate, broken down by gender, and  (b) whose loss of income caused by the abolition of the 10p income tax rate will be made up by tax credits;
	(2)  how many taxpayers will see their tax bill increase as a result of the proposed abolition of the 10p starting rate; and how many of this group will have the tax increase covered  (a) completely and  (b) in part by increased eligibility for tax credits.

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the effect of the abolition of the 10p tax band on an individual earning 10,000 per annum who is  (a) in receipt of tax credits and  (b) not in receipt of tax credits.

Edward Balls: In 2008-09, all 31 million taxpayers would have benefited from the 10p rate of income tax. Some 28 million of these taxpayers stand to gain from the cut in the basic rate of income tax to 20p.
	As a result of the personal tax package changes in Budget 2007 as a whole, four in five households will be better off or see no change in household income. This means 21 million households will see their net tax payments fall or stay the same.
	The final impact on individual families' living standards will depend upon final levels of wages, the national minimum wage, indexation and levels of benefits such as the child tax credit and the pension credit.

Income Tax

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the likely net effect on annual Treasury revenues of a four pence reduction in the basic rate of income tax.

Dawn Primarolo: The Exchequer effect of a 4p reduction in the basic rate of income tax can be derived from table 1.6 'Direct effects of illustrative tax changes' on the HM Revenue and Customs website at
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/tax_expenditures/table 1-6.pdf.

Inheritance Tax

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the  (a) number and  (b) proportion of detached properties in (i) England and (ii) Wales which have a value above the inheritance tax threshold.

Dawn Primarolo: The number of detached properties in England with a gross value which exceeded 285,000 in 2006 is estimated at 1.9 million, or 41 per cent. of all detached properties in England. Only 27 per cent. of properties are detached, and overall only 18 per cent. of all properties were valued at more than 285,000. Corresponding figures for Wales are not available but 19 per cent. of sales of detached properties sold for prices over 285,000 in 2006.
	In the same year only 6 per cent. of estates were liable to IHT. Budget 2007 announced that the IHT nil-rate band will increase to 350,000 in 2010-11; in addition, assets left to a surviving spouse or civil partner are completely exempt from IHT.

Inheritance Tax

David Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the merits of hypothecating monies from inheritance tax to pay for an individual's care costs, with particular reference to cost of accommodation in a care home when an individual has an estate above the inheritance tax threshold.

Dawn Primarolo: No such assessment has been made.
	The revenue raised from IHT, along with that from other revenues, funds essential public services that benefit the whole country.

Legal Services Bill

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with Ministerial colleagues in the Ministry of Justice on the impact of the Legal Services Bill.

Stephen Timms: Treasury Ministers have regular discussions with their ministerial colleagues on a wide range of issues. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such discussions.

Marginal Tax Rates

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of taxpayers with marginal deduction rates of over  (a) 60 per cent.,  (b) 70 per cent.,  (c) 80 per cent.,  (d) 90 per cent. and  (e) 100 per cent. (i) in 2008-09 and (ii) 2009-10.

David Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of people who in 2008-09 will have a marginal tax rate of  (a) over 50 per cent.,  (b) over 60 per cent.,  (c) over 70 per cent.,  (d) over 80 per cent. and  (e) over 90 per cent.

Greg Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people he estimates will face a marginal deduction rate of  (a) over 60 per cent. and  (b) over 70 per cent. following the tax and benefit changes in the Budget which take effect from April 2008.

Dawn Primarolo: Estimates of the number of families facing marginal deduction rates above 60 per cent. are published in Budget 2007 Table 4.2.
	Consistent with past practice, estimates of the number of families who may face marginal deduction rates above 50 per cent. in 2008-09 will be published in the 2007 pre-Budget report.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to reply to the letter of 9 May from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. and Mrs. Iqbal.

Dawn Primarolo: I have replied to the right hon. Member.

Michael Ellam

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  on what date he expects Michael Ellam to cease employment in his Department;
	(2)  whether Michael Ellam has been a civil servant from 1 January 2007 to date.

John Healey: Michael Ellam has been a civil servant throughout his Treasury employment.

Ministerial Powers

Mark Harper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the ministerial directions of which his Department has been notified since May 1997.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 22 November 2005,  Official Report, column 1910W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Pendle (Mr. Prentice).

Ministerial Residences

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the costs of refurbishment of the flat above Number 10 Downing Street have been in financial year 2006-07.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer of 4 June 2007,  Official Report, column 43W, which the Minister for the Cabinet Office gave the hon. Member for Rayleigh (Mr. Francois).

Motor Vehicles: Testing

Owen Paterson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what  (a) meetings and  (b) discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on the lengthening of the allowable period between MOT tests.

John Healey: Treasury Ministers and officials have discussions with a wide range of organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such discussions.

National Debt

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the level of national debt is; and what steps his Department is taking to reduce it.

John Healey: The latest estimate of net debt can be found in the latest public sector finances data release, jointly published by HM-Treasury and the ONS on June 20 2007. This is available at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=805
	The performance of fiscal policy is judged against the Government's two fiscal rules, the golden rule and the sustainable investment rule. The sustainable investment rule states that public sector net debt, as a proportion of GDP, will be held over the economic cycle at a stable and prudent level. Other things being equal, net debt will be maintained below 40 per cent. of GDP over the economic cycle. The Budget 2007 projections show that the Government are meeting both fiscal rules.

National Income: Public Holidays

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the effect on gross national product of each bank holiday in the UK in 2006.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 25 June 2007:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question concerning what estimate has been made of the effect on gross national product of (a) all bank holidays in the UK in 2006 and (b) each such bank holiday. (144570)
	Most headline economic statistics are seasonally adjusted, so that the timing of bank holidays does not affect comparisons across months, quarters and years. The ONS does not however make any assessment of the impact of bank holidays on the level of economic activity.

Office of Government Commerce: Consultants

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much the Office of Government Commerce spent on external consultants in each of the last five years.

John Healey: Information on OGC's administration costs consultancy spending in 2003-04 to 2006-07 is set out in table 7.4 of HM Treasury's Annual Report and Accounts, published on HM Treasury's website. In addition, in 2005-06, a further 3.45 million of programme consultancy costs were incurred as part of the OGC's Efficiency Challenge Fund work stream.
	For 2002-03, information on OGC's own consultancy spend could be disaggregated from costs of services engaged on behalf of other bodies only at disproportionate cost.

PAYE

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many open Pay as You Earn cases there were at the end of each of the three last financial years; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The number of open PAYE cases at the end of each of the three last financial years were:
	
		
			   Million 
			 2005 7.0 
			 2006 12.2 
			 2007 13.0 
		
	
	The number of open cases arising at the year-end has been increasing steadily because of increase in the number of employments in existence and changes in the pattern of employment.
	Numbers have also increased in the last two years because of a delay in the processing of P14 information received from employers. This has now been resolved and HMRC are working hard to reduce the number of open cases. HMRC will reduce the number of open cases to 10.5 million by April 2008.

Pension Funds: Taxation

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the aggregate value of pension fund surpluses, as defined for tax purposes, on 1 July 1997 or the nearest available prior date;
	(2)  what the estimated value was of actuarial liabilities against which the 60 billion surplus referred to in the Inland Revenue's note to him of 27 May 1997 was measured;
	(3)  whether the estimated 60 billion actuarial surplus in all pension funds as estimated in the Inland Revenue's note to him of 27 May 1997 was  (a) a net figure which included schemes reporting deficits and  (b) a gross figure which excluded such schemes;
	(4)  what method was used to extrapolate the position of all pension schemes from the sample of 32 large pension schemes by the Inland Revenue in the memorandum addressed to him dated 27 May 1997.

Edward Balls: Advice to Ministers was published on 30 March 2007. Further details of the analysis underpinning advice to Ministers in 1997 beyond that which we have published are not held in electronic archives. Information on aggregate pension fund surpluses and actuarial liabilities was not held centrally.

Pensions

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the likely net effect on total annual contributions to pension funds of the abolition of higher tax rate relief on pension contributions.

Edward Balls: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Great Grimsby (Mr. Mitchell) on 27 April 2007,  Official Report, columns 1371-72W.

Pensions: Public Sector

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which public sector pension schemes remain open to new workers up to 1 July 2007 with a retirement age of 60 years or less; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: Information on the pension ages currently applied in all public sector schemes is not held centrally, but the position as regards new entrants to the main schemes for which UK Government Ministers are responsible is:
	Armed forces, police and firefighters pension schemes have pension ages of 60 or below, and age 65 for those with preserved pension rights. The lower pension ages in these schemes reflect the physical requirements of these occupations.
	The NHS, teachers and the civil service pension scheme have been or are being reformed so that new entrants have a pension age of 65 from January 2007 for teachers, July 2007 for civil servants and a date to be finalised in 2008 for the NHS.
	The local government pension scheme already had a pension age of 65.

Pensions: Public Sector

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made to the extent to which public sector pension reform since 2005 meets the criteria of  (a) affordability,  (b) fairness relative to the private sector and  (c) fairness within the public sector; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The Government view public service pensions as a key part of the remuneration package of public servants, aimed at attracting and rewarding the skills and professionalism required to maintain a high quality public sector work force. Like other employers, the Government have to manage the increasing pension costs associated with rising longevity. Public service pension schemes have been reformed or are undergoing reform in order to make them affordable and sustainable in future. Following the Public Services Forum agreement in 2005, the reforms being introduced in the three major unfunded public service pension schemesthe NHS, teachers and the civil service schemesinclude increases in the normal pension age for new entrants and mechanisms that ensure that any future increases in cost will be shared fairly between employers and employees. In addition, there will also be an upper limit on the cost to the taxpayer, should costs increase.
	Similar reforms have also been agreed in other public service schemes including the local government pensions scheme.
	Expenditure on public service pension schemes as published in the latest Long Term Public Finance report (2006) is projected to be affordable and sustainable.

Pensions: Public Sector

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of public sector pensions in  (a) cash terms,  (b) real terms and  (c) as a share of gross domestic product for each year from 2007 to 2058; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: Current estimates and future projections (until 2055-56) of public service pensions costs are available in the latest Long Term Public Finance Report (LTPFR) published in December 2006also available at the HM Treasury website:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/6/0/pbr06_longtermpublicfinancereport_476.pdf)
	A note by the Government Actuary's Department (GAD) and HM Treasury on the assumptions used for the unfunded public service pension projections in the latest LTPFR is now available on the GAD website:
	www.gad.gov.uk

Pensions: Public Sector

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the proportion of reductions in public expenditure arising from public sector pension reform which will be made in respect of  (a) existing staff and  (b) new entrants; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: Savings estimates made at the time of the Public Services Forum agreement in 2005 on the reform of the three main unfunded pension schemesthe NHS, Teachers and the Civil Service Pension schemesshowed that over the next 50 years 85 per cent. of savings as a result of these reforms were expected to come from new entrants.
	The assumptions on which the 2005 savings estimates were based have now been superseded. Moreover, these estimates did not take account of reforms that were agreed later, such as cost sharing between employers and employees and capping of employer contribution rates.
	Scheme reforms are still being finalised, and scheme costings are being updated as part of the scheme valuation process. The latest valuations for the NHS pension scheme and the civil service pension scheme, for example, are due for publication by 2008. Updated savings estimates may be possible once the valuations are complete.

Personal Income

David Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many households with a household reference person aged  (a) 16 to 20,  (b) 21 to 25,  (c) 26 to 30,  (d) 31 to 40,  (e) 41 to 50,  (f) 51 to 60,  (g) 61 to 65,  (h) 66 to 75,  (i) 76 to 85 and  (j) over 85 had an income of (i) less than 80 per cent., (ii) less than 60 per cent. (iii) less than 40 per cent. and (iv) less than 20 per cent. of the median household income for such households in the last period for which figures are available; and how many adults live in such households in each case.

Jim Murphy: I have been asked to reply.
	Figures on the 20 per cent. of median income threshold are not statistically robust as the sample sizes are too small.
	The available information is in the tables.
	
		
			  Table 1 :  Number of households (million) below different thresholds of median income: 2005-06 before housing costs: by age-band of household reference person 
			  Age-band of household reference person  Below 80 per cent. of median income  Below 60 per cent. of median income  Below 40 per cent. of median income 
			 16 to 20 0.2 0.1 0.1 
			 21 to 25 0.4 0.3 0.1 
			 26 to 30 0.5 0.3 0.1 
			 31 to 40 1.6 0.8 0.3 
			 41 to 50 1.5 0.8 0.3 
			 51 to 60 1.3 0.7 0.3 
			 61 to 65 0.7 0.3 0.1 
			 66 to 75 1.5 0.7 0.1 
			 76 to 85 1.3 0.6 0.1 
			 Over 85 0.3 0.1 0.0 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2 :  Number of adults (million) living in households below different thresholds of median income: In 2005-06: before housing costs: by age-band of household reference person 
			  Age-band of household reference person  Below 80 per cent. of median income  Below 60 per cent. of median income  Below 40 per cent. of median income 
			 16 to 20 1.0 0.6 0.2 
			 21 to 25 1.0 0.6 0.2 
			 26 to 30 0.8 0.4 0.2 
			 31 to 40 2.5 1.2 0.4 
			 41 to 50 2.3 1.2 0.4 
			 51 to 60 1.9 1.1 0.5 
			 61 to 65 1.1 0.5 0.2 
			 66 to 75 2.2 1.0 0.2 
			 76 to 85 1.8 0.8 0.2 
			 Over 85 0.4 0.2 0.1 
			  Note: The information is based on OECD equivalisation factors and therefore it will not be the same as any figures previously published that were based on McClements equivalisation factors.  Source: Family Resources Survey 2005-06

Personal Savings

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the average value of savings per person in each UK region in each of the last five years.

Edward Balls: The information requested is not available.

Public Expenditure: Surveys

Mark Harper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library copies of all extant public expenditure survey (PES) papers; and if he will make it his policy to make PES papers publicly available on his Department's website.

Stephen Timms: Most Public Expenditure System papers containing standing guidance have been incorporated into the Consolidated Budgeting Guidance, available on Treasury's website. Remaining extant papers generally contain time-limited guidance and are withdrawn as they become out of date.
	I have arranged for copies of extant PES papers to be published on Treasury's website as soon as practically possible, and all future PES papers will likewise be published.

Public Sector: Pensions

Brooks Newmark: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the Government's unfunded public sector pension liabilities are if calculated using a discount rate based on index linked gilts; and what discount rate he uses for the calculation.

Philip Dunne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what the Government's total accrued liability in relation to public service pension schemes was as at March 2006;
	(2)  what recent estimate he has made of the liabilities of public sector pension schemes for which he is responsible; and if he will make a statement.

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimate is of the total liabilities of unfunded public sector pension schemes as at 31 March 2006.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the liabilities of public sector pension schemes for which he is responsible.

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  when his Department plans to publish the latest estimates of public sector unfunded pension liabilities; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what the reasons are for the delay in the publication of the latest estimate of the cost of unfunded public sector pension liabilities; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what his estimate is of the total unfunded public sector pension liability as at 31 March 2006; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  on what date his Department plans to release the  (a) estimate and  (b) analysis of the total liability of unfunded public service occupational schemes at (i) 31 March 2006 and (ii) 31 March 2007; and if he will make a statement;
	(5)  what discount rate the Government are using to calculate the net present value of public sector pension commitments; and if he will make a statement;
	(6)  what estimate he has made of the impact on the net present value of unfunded public sector pension schemes of changing the discount rate by 0.1 per cent.; and if he will make a statement;
	(7)  what change in the discount rate for public sector pension schemes was made on 31 March 2007; and if he will make a statement;
	(8)  what the Government's policy is on the choice of a discount rate for public sector pension scheme liabilities; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The unfunded public service pension liability as at 31 March 2005 was estimated to be 530 billion, and a technical paper explaining the methodology underlying this estimate is in the House Library. A new estimate will be published in due course.
	The total liability estimate covers all the pensions due to be paid to current and future pensioners in unfunded pension schemes, which will be paid at different times over the next eight decades, and which have been earned by around 10 million current and former public servants and their dependants over the last eight decades.
	The cash payments needed to service these payments remain stable and fully affordable. In 2004-05, around 18 billion was spent on paying unfunded, public service occupational pensions. This compares with around 17 billion in 2003-04. Both of these figures are in cash terms.
	And as the latest Long Term Public Finance Report demonstrates, these annual cash payments are projected to remain completely affordable in the long-term, rising gradually to only 2 per cent. of GDP in 50 years time, contributing to the strong position the UK economy is in to meet the fiscal challenges of the future.

Small Businesses

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with the Confederation of British Industry on the position of small businesses.

John Healey: The Chancellor is in frequent dialogue with the Confederation of British Industry as well as other representative bodies, discussing a number of issues including the position of small businesses.

Stillbirths

Andrew George: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many stillbirths there were in each English region in each year since 1997.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 25 June 2007:
	As the National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your question about how many stillbirths there were in each region of England in each year since 1997. (144286)
	The latest year for which stillbirth figures are available is 2005. The accompanying table shows numbers of stillbirths in England by Government Office Region for the years 1997 to 2005.
	
		
			  Stillbirths by Government Office Region( 1)  in England 1997 to 2005 
			  Government  office region  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 North East 162 170 144 140 136 153 150 166 162 
			 North West 463 454 432 418 459 424 471 461 453 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 313 338 305 338 287 334 357 386 379 
			 East Midlands 235 247 219 218 241 254 289 267 245 
			 West Midlands 361 365 391 348 337 383 387 382 394 
			 Eastern 312 313 308 296 291 318 311 343 282 
			 London 652 633 624 663 620 691 759 765 702 
			 South East 440 441 426 398 409 421 445 466 454 
			 South West 312 258 279 210 211 223 261 249 227 
			 Total England 3,250 3,219 3,128 3,029 2,991 3,201 3,430 3,485 3,298 
			 (1) Stillbirths are assigned to Government Office Region according to the usual residence of the mother at the date of the birth, as stated at registration. The table excludes a small number of stillbirths occurring in England each year to mothers whose usual residence was outside England and Wales.  Source:  Office for National Statistics

Tax Allowances: Armed Forces

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what tax relief schemes are in place for members of the military serving overseas.

Dawn Primarolo: Members of the military serving overseas are entitled to the tax relief available to taxpayers generally, provided they satisfy any qualifying conditions. The Government have also introduced a specific tax exemption in Finance Bill 2007 for members of the armed forces who are paid the newly introduced operational allowance. There is also a tax exemption under section 299 Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003 that covers any foreign service allowance paid to members of the armed forces to cover the extra cost of having to live outside the United Kingdom when serving overseas.

Tax Collection

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department is taking to recover tax uncollected by HM Revenue and Customs in the period 2005-06.

Dawn Primarolo: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) take a number of steps to recover outstanding tax debts. These include:
	The issue of printed reminders and letters
	Telephone pursuit campaigns and calls to individual cases
	Recovery visits to business and home addresses and,
	if the debt is still unpaid instigation of legal proceedings via distraint, court and/or insolvency action. 2005-06 debt still outstanding is being managed and will now be subject to recovery action, time to pay arrangements, legal proceedings or insolvency action although some of the debt will still be under dispute.
	The Department is also introducing more flexible payment methods to make it easier for customers to pay tax liabilities.

Tax Credit Office: Pay

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what bonuses were paid to staff working on tax credits in each  (a) month,  (b) quarter and  (c) year from April 2003 to May 2007; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many bonus payments were made to Tax Credit Office staff in each year since 2003, broken down by value of payment.

Stephen Timms: The information is not available for all staff working on tax credits. I refer the hon. Member to the answer my right hon. Friend gave him on 25 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1393W. As she explained, staff in various parts of HM Revenue and Customs, not only the Tax Credit Office, may be deployed to tax credits work or deal with tax credits in addition to other work. It is not possible to isolate those in receipt of bonus payments.
	For the number and value of bonus payments made to Tax Credit Office staff since new tax credits were introduced in 2003, I refer the hon. Member to the answers my right hon. Friend gave him on 23 October 2006,  Official Report, column 1646W, 25 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1393W, 29 June 2006,  Official Report, column 587W, and 12 December 2005,  Official Report, columns 1792-93W.
	The Director of the Tax Credit Office continues to recognise exceptional performanceincluding examples of excellent customer servicethrough a Recognition Bonus Scheme. The number and value of bonus payments made to Tax Credits Office staff from October 2006 to May 2007 inclusive are shown as follows:
	
		
			   Number of Staff awarded a bonus payment  Total value paid () 
			  2006   
			 October 3 750 
			 November 17 1,900 
			 December 7 1,200 
			
			  2007   
			 January 7 1,600 
			 February 44 5,400 
			 March 63 15,850 
			 April 2 800 
			 May 23 3,400

Tax Credit Office: Sick Leave

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many sick days were taken by Tax Credit Office staff in each year since 2003; and what the average number of sick days was per staff member.

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is given in the following table:
	
		
			   Full-time equivalent days taken  Average number of working days lost per member of staff 
			 2003 56,726 16.86 
			 2004 69,032 16.88 
			 2005-06 48,692 16.71 
			 2006-07 (provisional) 44,258 13.16

Tax Credits: Research

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the evaluation strategy for research and development tax credits includes assessments of whether the final beneficial owner of the entity claiming the tax credits is based offshore.

John Healey: The research survey conducted in 2005 as part of the evaluation of R and D tax credits collected information on a range of characteristics of the R and D companies responding, including whether they were part of a larger foreign company or group. The findings are published as Research Report 12 on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/research/index.htm

Taxation: Overseas Residence

Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy not to appoint individuals who hold non-domicile tax status as economic advisers or give them access to official papers on economic policy.

John Healey: The appointment and conduct of special advisers is in accordance with the Ministerial Code, Civil Service Code and Code of Conduct for Special Advisers.

Taxation: Pensioners

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many home visits were made by HM Revenue and Customs staff to pensioners to provide assistance with completing self-assessment tax return forms in each of the last five years.

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is not held centrally.

Taxation: Self-Assessment

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many 2005-06 tax returns have been lost.

Dawn Primarolo: Information on the number of lost tax returns is not recorded centrally. HMRC have a rigorous system for logging and handling returns in order to minimise the risk of losses.

Taxation: USA

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the recent enforcement actions taken by the US Inland Revenue Services against two large accountancy partnerships located both in the US and the UK have been discussed at joint meetings of the UK and US tax authorities.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by the Financial Secretary on 13 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1124W.
	I am unable to comment on particular cases.

Unemployment: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in Warrington were unemployed  (a) in April 1997 and  (b) at the latest date for which figures are available, broken down by (i) age group and (ii) local government ward.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnel l , 25 June 2007:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your parliamentary question asking how many people in Warrington were unemployed  (a) in April 1997 and  (b) the latest date for which figures are available, broken down by (i) age group and (ii) local government ward. (145467)
	For unitary and local authorities, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) produces estimates of total unemployment, following International Labour Organisation (ILO)
	definitions, from a statistic model. For all other estimates of unemployment for local areas, ONS compiles statistics from the Annual Population Survey (APS) following ILO definitions.
	Table 1, attached, shows modelled estimates of the total number of unemployed, for the Warrington unitary authority, for the 12 months ending in February 1997 and the 12 months ending in September 2006, Estimates by age group are provided from the annual local area LFS for the 12 months ending in February 1997 and from the APS for the 12 months ending in September 2006. Corresponding estimates for local government wards are not available.
	As these estimates are for a subset of the population in small geographical areas, they are based on small sample sizes, and are therefore subject to large margins of uncertainty.
	ONS also compiles statistics for local areas of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA). Table 2, attached, shows the total numbers of people, and the numbers by age group, resident in the Warrington unitary authority, claiming JSA in April 1997, April 2007 and in May 2007, the latest available data. Also shown are the total numbers of claimants as percentages of the resident working age population. Table 3, attached, shows the numbers of JSA claimants in each local authority ward in Warrington, and these numbers as percentages of the resident working age populations, for May 2007.
	Data for 2003 Census Area Statistics wards are provided for the latest period only, as data for the same ward boundaries, for April 1997, are not available.
	
		
			  Table 1: Unemployed persons resident in Warrington unitary authority 
			  Thousand 
			   All( 1)  Aged 16 to 24  Aged 25 to 49  Aged 50 and over 
			  12 months ending  Level  Rate( 2)  (%)  Level  Rate( 2)  (%)  Level  Rate( 2) (%)  Level  Rate( 2) (%) 
			 February 1997 56 5.62 1 8.5 2 4.1 2 7.9 
			 September 2006 4 4.3 2 12.0 2 2.9 1 3.1 
			 (1) Model-based estimates are subject to random variability.  (2) Unemployment as a percentage of the economically active population of the age group.   Note:  LFS/APS estimates are subject to sampling variability. Changes in the estimates over time should be treated with particular caution.   Source:  Annual local: area Labour Force Survey; Annuals Population Survey; ONS. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Claimants of Jobseeker's Allowance resident in the Warrington unitary authority; by age group 
			   All  Aged 16 to 24( 1)  Aged 25 to 49  Aged 50 and over( 1) 
			  Month  Number  Proportion( 2)  (%)  Number  Number  Number 
			 April 1997 3,939 3.3 1,050 2,130 735 
			 April 2007 2,249 1:8 685 1,215 345 
			 May 2007 2,183  1.8 1,185 315 
			 (1) Computerised claims only. Rounded to nearest 5.  (2) Number of claimants expressed as a percentage of the resident working age population.   Source:  Jobcentre Plus administrative data. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3,' Claimants of Jobseeker's Allowance resident in the Warrington unitary authority by ward 
			   May 2007 
			  Ward( 1)  Number  Proportion( 2)  (%) 
			 Appleton 32 0.5 
			 Bewsey and Whitecross 281 4.7 
			 Birchwood 165 2.2 
			 Burtonwood and Winwick 46 1.3 
			 Cultheth, Glazebury and Croft 75 1.1 
			 Fairley and Howley 215 3.2 
			 Grappenhall and Thelwall 42 0.8 
			 Great Sankey North 36 0.9 
			 Great Sankey South 99 1.5 
			 Hatton, Stretton and Walton 6 0.3 
			 Latchford East 166 3.7 
			 Latchford West 73 1.8 
			 Lymm 53 0.8 
			 Orford 236 3.5 
			 Penketh and Cuerdley 39 07 
			 Poplars and Hulme 258 4.1 
			 Poulton North 136 2.0 
			 Poulton South 35 0.9 
			 Rixton and Woolston 64 1.0 
			 Stockton Heath 24 0.6 
			 Westbrook 39 0.9 
			 Whittle Hall 6.3 1.1 
			 (1) 2003 Census area statistics ward. (2) Number of claimants expressed as a percentage of the resident working-age population.  Source: Jobcentre Plus administrative data.

Valuation Office Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 26 January 2007,  Official Report, column 2134W, on the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), if he will place in the Library copies of staff magazines produced by the VOA since the January 2006 edition.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 8 January 2007,  Official Report, column 432W, which confirmed that a copy of the Valuation Office Agency's staff magazine for June 2006 was placed in the Library. Two subsequent editions have now been placed in the Library.

Valuation Office Agency

Michael Gove: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library copies of the Valuation Office Agency's Audit Committee minutes from the last 12 months.

Dawn Primarolo: The meeting summaries, which will be published on the Valuation Office Agency's (VOA) websitewww.voa.gov.ukhave been placed in the Library.

Valuation Office: Databases

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the Valuation Office Agency's target is for increasing the number of photographs of  (a) domestic and  (b) non-domestic properties held on its electronic database.

Dawn Primarolo: The VOA has no target to increase the number of photographs on the electronic database.

Valuation Office: Manpower

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 27 March 2007,  Official Report, column 1513W, on the Valuation Office: manpower, what the figure was in each year from 1990 to 1999.

Dawn Primarolo: The numbers of full-time equivalent staff employed by the agency as at the end of March each year are shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Number of full-time equivalent staff 
			 1997 4,301 
			 1998 4,110 
			 1999 4,072 
		
	
	The VOA does not retain records prior to 1997. Therefore we are unable to produce Staff In Post reports before this year.

Valuation Office: Training

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much the Valuation Office Agency spent on media training in each year since 2001.

Dawn Primarolo: The Valuation Office Agency spent 20,000 in 2004 on media training.

Valuation Office: Visits Abroad

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the foreign countries which representatives of the Valuation Office Agency have visited on official business since 1 January.

Dawn Primarolo: Since 1 January 2007, VOA staff visited Australia, Canada, New Zealand, USA and Lithuania on official business.

VAT

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of total uncollected VAT revenues in the last year for which figures are available.

Dawn Primarolo: Recoverable VAT revenue uncollected at the end of financial year 2005-06 was estimated at 1.1 billion.
	This figure is a snapshot of the amount unpaid at the end of the financial year and fluctuates throughout the year.
	This debt is being actively managed and will be subject to recovery action, time to pay arrangements, legal proceedings and insolvency action.

VAT: Home Information Packs

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what the expected  (a) gross and  (b) net revenue is from VAT on (i) home information packs (HIPs), (ii) the home condition report element of a HIP and (iii) energy performance certificates;
	(2)  whether VAT will be payable on the entire contents of a home information pack.

Dawn Primarolo: The extent to which VAT will be payable on the costs incurred by a prospective house seller in compiling a home information pack will depend on the contents of each individual pack, and on how it is compiled.
	HM Revenue and Customs does not have the information required to make these specific estimates.

VAT: Registration

Paul Truswell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect on businesses of the time taken to approve VAT applications; what steps he intends to take to reduce this timescale; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: It is right that HM Revenue and Customs take steps to prevent abuse of the VAT systemincluding by those who seek to register for fraudulent purposes. While these steps aim to target abuse, HMRC recognise that unacceptable delays for legitimate businesses should be minimised. HMRC are introducing new working practices and processes designed to improve the service.

VAT: Registration

David Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1500W, on VAT: registration, how many VAT applications not processed within 21 days of receipt in March 2007 related to  (a) mobile telephones,  (b) other electrical equipment and  (c) other activities.

Dawn Primarolo: HM Revenue and Customs does not record processing times for businesses involved specifically in mobile phones or electrical equipment.

VAT: Registration

David Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1500W, on VAT: registration, how many such complaints were from companies seeking VAT registration to conduct business activities relating to  (a) mobile telephones,  (b) other electrical equipment and  (c) other activities.

Dawn Primarolo: HM Revenue and Customs does not record details of the trading activities of businesses that made complaints.

VAT: Solar Power

Stephen Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much VAT was raised from the sale of solar panels for the latest year for which figures are available.

Dawn Primarolo: HM Revenue and Customs does not collect data on VAT from individual goods and services.

Welfare Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of what the expenditure on  (a) tax credits and  (b) child benefit will be in 2006-07; and on what assumptions including take up rates this figure is based.

Dawn Primarolo: Provisional estimates of tax credit and child benefit expenditure in 2006-07 is published in Table 1.3b Monthly and quarterly Child and Working Tax Credits and Child Benefit net payments, which is available on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/tax_receipts/menu.htm
	These estimates may be subject to revision when definitive annual totals are released with the 2007 HMRC Trust Statement.
	No assumptions are made in producing these statistics.

Welfare Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what backlogs there are in HM Revenue and Customs offices of unprocessed  (a) tax credit claim forms and  (b) declaration forms; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: HM Revenue and Customs aims to deal with 86 per cent. of new claims, renewals and changes of circumstances within five working days and 95 per cent. in 30 working days.
	The latest figures that are available show there are no backlogs of unprocessed new claims or 2006-07 annual declaration forms.

Welfare Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many of the Parliamentary Ombudsman's recommendations for reform of the tax credit system were fully implemented as at 31 May; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps are being taken to bring to the attention of tax credit claimants their potential entitlement to additional payments due to in-year restrictions on recovery;
	(3)  what action has been taken to implement a period of notice before recovery of a tax credit overpayment; what period of notice is to be given; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  what action had been taken as at 31 May 2007 to ensure that all claimants who are asked to repay overpaid tax credits are automatically made aware of the reasons for any overpayment; and if he will make a statement;
	(5)  why the Government have not implemented the Parliamentary Ombudsman's third recommendation on tax credits in relation to displaying appeal rights on overpayments on the award notice; and if he will make a statement;
	(6)  what action his Department takes to notify tax credit claimants of the circumstances in which they can have recovery of overpaid tax credits waived; and if he will make a statement;
	(7)  pursuant to the debate of 15 March 2007,  Official Report, column 181WH, on tax credits, what the evidential basis was for the statement by the Paymaster General that the vast majority of the Parliamentary Ombudsman's recommendations on tax credits had been implemented; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Progress against each of the ombudsman's recommendations of her report, Tax Credits: Putting Things Right (HC 124), can be seen in the following table:
	
		
			   Summary of Recommendation  Progress 
			 1 Steps to ensure staff recognise the situations where interim payments of tax credits are appropriate. Implemented. 
			   Guidance sent out 2005. 
			
			 2 The Revenue should not seek to recover until it has come to a decision on whether it should be recovered under COP 26 (the 'pause'). Work in progress. 
			   Suspension of recovery of disputed overpayments became possible from November 2005. From November 2006 this became fully automatic. 
			   Government accepted the case in principle for a period of notice before recovery of an overpayment begins. 
			
			 3 On the 'payments page' of an award notice, customers should be alerted to the fact that recovery can be disputed under COP 26. Implemented. 
			   Clearly displayed in the one-page notes accompanying the award notice. 
			
			 4 Recovery should be at the same rate as those for previous year overpayments. Implemented. 
			   Part of package of measures announced at PBR 2005. 
			
			 5 Steps to ensure that staff who have contact with tax credit customers are alert to the circumstances when Additional Tax Credits (ATCs) might be appropriate. Implemented. 
			   Guidance sent out 2005. 
			   Special arrangements from January to ensure in-year restriction is available without claimants having to ask for this. 
			
			 6 Where in-year recovery of excess tax credits is justified, the Revenue should take steps to pay ATCs automatically to families in receipt of income support and income-based jobseeker's allowance. Implemented. 
			   This recommendation has been overtaken by the announcement in PBR 2005 to align cross and in-year recovery rates. This will occur for all in-year recoveries, whether or not the claimant is in receipt of IS or I/B JSA. 
			
			 7 Details of the availability of ATCs should be printed prominently on the 'payments' page of an award notice and the guidance notes. Implemented. 
			   More prominent on both these documents. Overtaken by the announcement in PBR 2005 to align cross and in-year recovery rates. 
			
			 8 Overpaid customers to be sent a letter outlining: Implemented. 
			  The total amount they owe; Revised award notice explains in more detail how the award is made up, the payment schedule and details of how payments are affected by recovery action. The guidance notes give greater prominence to overpayments and recovery, the availability of COP26, waiver and additional payments. 
			  The reasons why the overpayment occurred and the date or dates when it happened; and A full Playback introduced in November 2006, as part of the latest computer release, and will mean that a claimant's finalisation/renewals notice from April 2007 will contain information on their award throughout the previous tax year. This will help with explaining why did this overpayment occur. 
			  The repayment arrangements which will apply in their case.  
			  The letter to enclose a copy of COP 26 and draw particular attention to the circumstances when recovery can be waived and the availability of ATCs in cases of hardship.  
			
			 9 Whenever a Revenue mistake is identified which has led to an overpayment, the customer should be immediately notified of exactly what has happened and informed of the circumstances when recovery can be waived. Implemented. 
			   When an IT system problem is identified which has led to an overpayment, HMRC will contact those affected. 
			   Award notice contains the amount and how it will be recovered on the notice. The accompanying guidance notes tell claimants that HMRC's approach to overpayments is outlined in COP 26. 
			   HMRC cannot always identify where a mistake has been made as it often needs individual customer contact. 
			
			 10 Write off all overpayments caused by official error which occurred during 2003-04 and 2004. Not accepted. 
			   The Government have to balance duty of care to tax credit claimants with their duty to all taxpayers and the public purse. 
			
			 11 Statutory test for recovery of overpayments consistent with the test that is currently applied to social security benefits, with a right of appeal to an independent tribunal. An alternative approach is being piloted. 
			   Claimants can complain if they disagree with the decision or matters are not resolved to their satisfaction. 
			   HMRC are planning with the adjudicator to provide a fast track independent review for disputed overpayments. Pilot will start in the next few months to test arrangements. 
			
			 12 The Revenue should consider the way it organises delivery of tax credits in order to deliver a better, more complete service to the customers it now serves. A different model is needed in complex cases and where something has gone wrong. More sustained and informed communication with customers about their case is essential. Implemented but will always be subject to ongoing work. 
			   Special team set up in the Tax Credits Office (TCO) to deal with more complex cases (known as Group 33) who adopt a whole case approach. 
			   TCO have reviewed their complaints processes and made a number of changes. In particular to have a named caseworker who will take ownership of the complaint until it is resolved. 
			   More generally we have taken a more radical long-term look at the way we delivery tax credits. This now forms part of the Department's Transformation programme.

Welfare Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the budgeted provision is for administering the tax credits system in  (a) 2006-07,  (b) 2007-08 and  (c) 2008-09; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The costs of administering the tax credits system are reported annually in HMRC's Trust Statement, available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/about/reports.htm

Welfare Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many interim payments of tax credits there were in each month since October 2005.

Dawn Primarolo: For information up to and including January 2007, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 27 March 2007,  Official Report, columns 1513-14W.
	Information for the period February 2007 to May 2007 inclusive is:
	
		
			   Manual payment instructions processed ( T housand) 
			 February 2007 55 
			 March 2007 54 
			 April 2007 25 
			 May 2007 31

Welfare Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many additional tax credit payments were made in each month from April 2003 to June 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: For the number and value of additional tax credits payments in 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 27 June 2006,  Official Report, columns 376-77W.
	It is no longer necessary for HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to issue manual payments in cases of hardship following an in-year adjustment. Instead, a new process allows for an adjustment on the tax credits system to reduce the rate of recovery of an overpayment in-year.

Welfare Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many tax credit cases were dealt with by the Group 33 tax credits team in each month from April 2003 to June 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The information is given in the table as follows.
	
		
			  Month  Number cases dealt with by the Group 33 tax credits team 
			  2005  
			 February 719 
			 March 2,402 
			 April 3,337 
			 May 3,603 
			 June 3,381 
			 July 3,445 
			 August 4,450 
			 September 4,613 
			 October 5,752 
			 November 3,757 
			 December 3,308 
			  2006  
			 January 5,513 
			 February 4,212 
			 March 3,087 
			 April 2,749 
			 May 3,648 
			 June 3,376 
			 July 4,908 
			 August 2,904 
			 September 3,723 
			 October 4,807 
			 November 3,519 
			 December 3,207 
			  2007  
			 January 4,119 
			 February 3,252 
			 March 3,817 
			 April 2,908 
			 May 2,886

Welfare Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what action is being taken as part of the Department's Transformation Programme to review the long-term operation of the tax credits system; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The Tax Credits Transformation Programme, which is part of the Departmental Transformation Programme, aims to improve the delivery of tax credits by tailoring services and communications to the needs of the customers. As part of the Tax Credits Transformation Programme, HMRC has started to pilot some improvements in customer service, for example in helping customers whose circumstances change as the result of the breakdown of a relationship.

Welfare Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps are planned further to simplify tax credit award notices.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Batley and Spen (Mike Wood) on 26 February 2007,  Official Report, column 1104W.

Welfare Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of trends in tax credit fraud and error between  (a) 2003-04 and 2004-05 and  (b) 2004-05 and 2005-06; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will make a statement on current levels of fraud and error in tax credits.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the answer the Chief Secretary to the Treasury (Mr. Timms) gave him on 13 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1126W.

Welfare Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the level of official error in the tax credits system; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what his latest estimate is of the level of software error in the tax credits system; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the evidence given to the Treasury Select Committee on 14 March 2007 in response to the hon. Member for Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, Central (Jim Cousins).

Welfare Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the cost of the 2,500 tax credit income disregard for 2004-05; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 18 July 2006,  Official Report, column 361W.

Welfare Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many tax credit claims were disallowed after  (a) pre-payment and  (b) post-payment verification checks in each quarter from April 2003 to June 2007; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many tax credit claims were examined by the Compliance Unit in each month since April 2003; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  how many potential organised tax credit fraud cases were identified by HM Revenue and Customs pre-payment checks in each month since May 2005; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  what the estimated yield was in 2006-07 from HM Revenue and Customs tax credit pre-payment checks; and if he will make a statement;
	(5)  how many suspect tax credit applications by organised fraudsters were stopped by HM Revenue and Customs in  (a) 2005-06 and  (b) 2006-07; and if he will make a statement;
	(6)  how many checks on tax credit awards before payment were made in each quarter from April 2001 to April 2007.

Dawn Primarolo: Information on tax credits compliance activities for 2005-06 was published in the Comptroller and Auditor General's Standard Report on HMRC's Accounts. HMRC's 2006-07 Accounts are due to be presented to the House of Commons before it rises for summer recess.

Welfare Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what sample site was used for 2004-05 tax credit awards to check the level of tax credit fraud and error; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The United Kingdom.

Welfare Tax Credits

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 11 June 2007,  Official Report, column 830W, on welfare tax credits, if he will break down the figures given in table 4 of the publication child tax credit and working tax credit, take up rates, 2004-05 by those with  (a) two working parents,  (b) two parents, one of whom is working,  (c) a single parent and  (d) other family circumstances.

Dawn Primarolo: The information is not available except at disproportionate cost.

Welfare Tax Credits

Mark Harper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the backlog of cases is in the Tax Credit Calculating and Scheduling Group; and how long cases took to resolve in the last period for which figures are available.

Dawn Primarolo: Currently, the Tax Credit Calculating and Scheduling group has around four days work on hand. Information about how long cases take to resolve is not available

Welfare Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what targets have been set for reducing error and fraud in the tax credit system; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer you to the evidence given to the Public Accounts Committee on 23 October 2006 in response to questions 10-12 (which can be found at:
	http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmselect/cmpubacc/cmpubacc.htm#evid).

Welfare Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the level of service from HM Revenue and Customs received by tax credit claimants; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to HM Revenue and Customs 2007 departmental report available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/about/reports.htm

Welfare Tax Credits

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much of the total amount of tax credits paid out due to error or fraud in  (a) 2003-04,  (b) 2004-05,  (c) 2005-06 and  (d) 2006-07 he estimates will never be recovered.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer to my statement to the House on tax credits on 11 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1281. Estimates for subsequent years are not yet available.

Welfare Tax Credits

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions his Department has had with officials from HM Revenue and Customs on the administration of tax credits.

Dawn Primarolo: Treasury officials meet regularly with HMRC officials to discuss a wide range of tax credits subjects as part of the process of policy development and delivery.

Welfare Tax Credits

John Spellar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what changes have been made to his Department's procedures to prevent people from claiming tax credit in respect of non-existent children.

Dawn Primarolo: HMRC check tax credits claims and carry out enquiries to make sure that claims are genuine, that any children claimed for actually exist and the circumstances of the family genuinely qualify.
	HMRC prosecutes frauds and tax credits cheats face fines, jail and a criminal record.
	HMRC is constantly looking at ways to improve our procedures to prevent tax credits fraud.

Welfare Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimate is of the amount lost to tax credit fraud recovered in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the statement I made to the House on 11 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1281W.

Welfare Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people were prosecuted for tax credit fraud in each quarter since April 2003; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: This information is not available.
	For total prosecution figures for 2004-05 and 2005-06 I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 25 July 2006,  Official Report, columns 1393-94W.

Welfare Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many organised tax credit fraud cases the Organised Fraud Strategy Board investigated in each quarter since April 2003; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The Organised Fraud Strategy Board is a governance body and it does not investigate any cases of tax credit fraud directly.

Welfare Tax Credits: Appeals

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many tax credit claimants appealing against overpayments exercised their right to attend an oral hearing by an appeal tribunal in each  (a) month,  (b) quarter and  (c) year since April 2003; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested on the number of oral hearings requested at tribunal is not available.
	Tax credits claimants have a right of appeal against decisions about their tax credit entitlement but HM Revenue and Customs' (HMRC) Code of Practice 26 'What happens if we have paid you too much tax credit' gives the reasons why claimants might be able to dispute an overpayment and how they should do this.

Welfare Tax Credits: EC Countries

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether EU citizens entitled to claim child-related benefits or tax credits in their home country are eligible to claim  (a) child tax credit and  (b) child benefit in the UK for the same child; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 12 June 2007,  Official Report, column 943W.

Welfare Tax Credits: ICT

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many computer software errors there were in the tax credits system which have potentially caused errors in payments in each reporting period from April 2003 to June 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 1 November 2006,  Official Report, column 543W.

Welfare Tax Credits: ICT

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the IT system used for working families tax credit (WFTC) was the same system used for family credit or a new system; and whether the system used for the new tax credits is the same as that used for WFTC.

Dawn Primarolo: The IT system used for working families tax credit (WFTC) was the same system used for family credit (FamC).
	The IT system used for the new tax credits is a different system to that used for WFTC.

Welfare Tax Credits: ICT

Mark Harper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received on tax credit computer system-generated errors following change of client circumstances.

Dawn Primarolo: Treasury Ministers have received a number of representations on various aspects of the administration of the tax credits system and I have reported regularly to the House on its operation.

Welfare Tax Credits: ICT

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what total payments have been made to date to organisations awarded the contract to run the tax credits computer system.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the right hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 27 March 2007,  Official Report, column 1516W.

Welfare Tax Credits: Internet

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans the tax credits e-portal to be opened again by 31 December 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 20 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1890W.

Welfare Tax Credits: Manpower

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimate is of the numbers of staff working at the expense of the public purse on tax credit work in each reporting period since April 2003; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 31 October 2006,  Official Report, column 320W.

Welfare Tax Credits: Manpower

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which HM Revenue and Customs sites in the UK contain staff working  (a) on tax credits policy,  (b) on tax credit debt management,  (c) in tax credit contact centres,  (d) in tax credit enquiry centres,  (e) in the tax credits office,  (f) in the tax credit programme office,  (g) on tax credit compliance,  (h) on the tax credit IT live service and  (i) in tax credit IT development; how many staff work at each site; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: For staff figures I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him today (144906). Information on how to contact HMRC can be found at www.hmrc.gov.uk under contact us.

Welfare Tax Credits: Manpower

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many staff are employed in the assisted adjudicator's office of HM Revenue and Customs dealing with tax credit disputes;
	(2)  how many staff are employed by HM Revenue and Customs to deal with tax credit disputes.

Dawn Primarolo: HM Revenue and Customs currently has around 220 full-time equivalent staff members dealing with tax credits complaints.

Welfare Tax Credits: Migrant Workers

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what checks are in place to ensure that migrant workers in receipt of tax credits do not continue to receive payments after they have returned to their home countries; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what checks are in place to validate claims of EU migrant workers for child tax credits in respect of children who live abroad; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what proportion of child tax credit claims for migrant workers  (a) were rejected in each year since 2003-04 and  (b) have been rejected in 2007-08; what the principal reasons have been for the rejection of such claims; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Section 3 (3) and (7) of the Tax Credits Act 2002 provides a general requirement for all claimants to be in the UK to be eligible for the child and working tax credits, unless prescribed exceptions apply. HMRC have a range of checks in place to determine the overall risk of a claim, both pre- and post-payment, and intervene where they suspect a claim may be wrong or fraudulent. These checks apply to all claimants, irrespective of nationality.
	Claims by EU migrant workers for family benefits in the UK (child benefit and child tax credit) under the co-ordinating rules in EC Regulations 1408/71 and 574/72 are subject to checks between HMRC and the competent authorities of the other member state on the composition of the worker's family resident in the other member state and whether family benefits are in payment in that other state. In addition, claimants may be required to provide a birth or adoption certificate for the child in question or a certified copy.
	The other information requested is not available.

Welfare Tax Credits: Overpayments

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people were taken to court for non-payment of tax credit overpayments in  (a) April and  (b) May; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: No cases were taken to court for recovery of tax credit overpayments in April and May.

Welfare Tax Credits: Overpayments

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether it is his policy to categorise tax credit overpayments due to failure to declare a partner as fraud or as error; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Whether overpayments arising from a failure to disclose a partner are categorised as error or fraud is dependent on the individual circumstances of a case.

Welfare Tax Credits: Overpayments

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the cost to date of tax credit overpayments due to failure to declare a partner.

Dawn Primarolo: The estimated cost of error and fraud by claimants failing to declare a partner, in 2003-04, is published in table 6 of the HMRC publication Child and Working Tax Credit. Error and Fraud Statistics. 2003-04, which is available on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/error-fraud.htm

Welfare Tax Credits: Overpayments

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many tax credit forms TC846 were issued in each month from April 2003 to June 2007.

Dawn Primarolo: This information is not available.

Welfare Tax Credits: Overpayments

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimate is of the average cost of handling each tax credit overpayment appeal; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: This information is not available.

Welfare Tax Credits: Overpayments

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many tax credit overpayment demands were overturned by  (a) the Ombudsman and  (b) the Adjudicator in each reporting period from 2003-04 to 2007-08; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: For information about the independent adjudicator and the ombudsman, I refer the hon. Members to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Wycombe (Mr. Goodman) on 30 January 2006,  Official Report, column 143W. The independent adjudicator subsequently published her 2006 report on 20 June 2006 and the parliamentary ombudsman published her report on 12 July 2006.

Welfare Tax Credits: Overpayments

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the guidelines given to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) staff for recovering overpaid tax credits; what powers HMRC staff have to make calls at the claimant's home address; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has a standard process for direct recovery of tax credit overpayments, the primary objective being to encourage the claimant to make contact. The process includes printed reminders for payment, at least three attempts at making personal contact by telephone or a visit to the claimant's home address if telephone contact not possible. And finally a letter warning of legal proceedings is issued before cases are taken to court. The process includes a facility for the Tax Credits Office to withdraw, at any time, any case under dispute.
	HMRC staff operate under a general power, without which the Commissioners would be unable to undertake their duty to collect the revenue for which they are responsible, under section 5 Commissioners for Revenue and Customs Act 2005 (which includes tax credits under S5(1)(c).

Welfare Tax Credits: Overpayments

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recovery procedure checks are in place in HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) which must be implemented before HMRC can take to court tax credit claimants with overpayments; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Instructions to staff on the prime procedural checks, which must be implemented before court action is instigated for recovery of a tax credit overpayment, state that the overpayment must be appropriate for recovery. The procedure includes:
	a check to ensure that the case is not in dispute, subject to a time to pay arrangement or a potential hardship case
	a check to ensure that the claimant is not in receipt of income support or jobseekers allowance
	a check for any special circumstances that suggest the case is not appropriate for recovery action.
	a check by a higher grade officer to ensure that the case is suitable for court action and that all the procedures have been carried out.

Welfare Tax Credits: Overpayments

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many errors HM Revenue and Customs staff are allowed to make in dealing with a tax credit case before an overpayment is written off; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether a tax credit overpayment is deemed recoverable if, due to official error, a tax credit award notice records both zero income and the claimant's place of work and hours of work; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: HMRC's approach to handling tax credits overpayments is set out in its code of practice 26: What happens if we have paid you too much tax credit? available at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/leaflets/credit.htm

Welfare Tax Credits: Overpayments

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what targets have been set by HM Revenue and Customs for its staff involved in dealing with tax credit overpayment appeals; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Tax credits claimants have a right of appeal against decisions about their tax credit entitlement but HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) code of practice 26 What happens if we have paid you too much tax credit? gives the reasons why claimants might be able to dispute an overpayment and how they should do this.
	HMRC aims to deal with 80 per cent. of correspondence within 15 working days of receipt and 95 per cent. within 40 working days.

Welfare Tax Credits: Overpayments

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the introduction of reduced rates of recovery from tax credit overpayments.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to my written statement to the House on 6 December 2006,  Official Report, column 15WS and the evidence I gave to the Treasury Select Committee on 14 March 2007 in response to question 20.

Welfare Tax Credits: Overpayments

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress has been made in using a pilot to test the possibility of the adjudicator working with HM Revenue and Customs to provide a fast track independent review for disputed tax credit overpayments; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: HMRC is planning with the adjudicator to provide a fast track independent review for disputed overpayments. A pilot will start in next few months to test arrangements.

Welfare Tax Credits: Overpayments

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimate is of the number of  (a) disputed overpayments of tax credits and  (b) disputed overpayments of tax credits written-off in each month since February 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The numbers of disputed overpayments received and the numbers of overpayments written off either fully or partially because of official error since February 2007 were around:
	
		
			  Month 2007  Number of disputes received  Number written off (fully or partially) 
			 February 19,500 500 
			 March 20,000 450 
			 April 14,000 350 
			 May 16,000 400 
		
	
	The figures for overpayments written off do not directly relate to those disputes that were received in the same month. TCO does not separately record whether an overpayment is written off in part or in full.

Welfare Tax Credits: Overpayments

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reasons the number of disputed tax credit payments which were written-off declined between 2005 and 2006; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the oral evidence taken before the Treasury Committee on 14 March 2007.

Welfare Tax Credits: Overpayments

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  whether his Department's estimates of overpaid tax credits in 2003-04 and 2004-05 include amounts paid out due to fraud and error; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the proportion of tax credit overpayments which involved some element of official error in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The HMRC statistical publications on overpayment of tax credits in 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06 do not include any claims identified as error (claimant or official) or fraud.
	The HMRC publication Tackling Error and Fraud in the Child and Working Tax Credits provides an explanation on what information is included in the overpayment and Error and Fraud publications. This document is available on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/error-fraud.htm

Welfare Tax Credits: Payments

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many tax credit  (a) maladministration and  (b) consolatory payments were made in each month from April 2003 to June 2006.

Dawn Primarolo: The circumstances in which HM Revenue and Customs will make compensation payments to its customers are explained in the Department's fact sheet, Complaints and Putting Things Right, which is available at:
	www.hmrc.gov.uk
	The Department will pay compensation for reasonable costs incurred as a direct result of its mistakes or delays and to recognise worry and distress caused by those mistakes and delays. It does not keep separate details of compensation payments made specifically due to maladministration or poor service.
	For the number and value of compensation payments made up to 30 September 2006, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 26 October 2006,  Official Report, columns 2027-28W.

Welfare Tax Credits: Personation

David Evennett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many residents of Bexleyheath and Crayford had tax credits suspended due to identity theft in  (a) 2005-06 and  (b) 2006-07.

Dawn Primarolo: The information is not available.

Welfare Tax Credits: Publicity

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total spending on all forms of tax credit publicity and advertising was in  (a) 2005-06 and  (b) 2006-07; if he will list the spending on each tax credits campaign; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The information is as follows:
	 (a) I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 31 October 2006,  Official Report, column 319W.
	 (b) I refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury gave to the hon. Member for Rayleigh (Mr. Francois) on 14 May 2007,  Official Report, column 566W.
	Information is not available at campaign level.

Welfare Tax Credits: Take-up

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the take-up of tax credits for those with incomes of between 10,000 and 20,000 per annum; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Estimates of the take-up rate of tax credits by band of income in 2004-05, the most recent year of available data, are available in table 4 of the publication Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit. Take-up rates. 2004-05. This publication is available on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/takeup-rates2004-05.pdf

Welfare Tax Credits: Telephone Services

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many calls were made to the tax credits helpline in each month from April 2003 to April 2007; and how many of these calls were unanswered, broken down by reason for the call.

Dawn Primarolo: I would refer the hon. member to previous answers of 10 October 2005,  Official Report, column 322W, 14 March 2006,  Official Report, column 2137W, 20 June 2006,  Official Report, column 1858W, and 5 June 2006,  Official Report, columns 187-88W, where elements of the requested information have already been provided. Within the limits of readily available information, the following table aims to show calls received and calls engaged/busy and abandoned for those periods not previously answered where this information has not previously been provided.
	It is not possible to establish the reason for calling if a call was unanswered.
	
		
			  To nearest thousand 
			   Received( 1, 3)  Abandoned( 2, 3)  Engaged/busy( 3) 
			  2003
			 April (4) 741 (4) 
			 May (4) 320 (4) 
			 June (4) 44 (4) 
			 July (4) 86 (4) 
			 August (4) 60 (4) 
			 September (4) 63 (4) 
			 October (4) 35 (4) 
			 November (4) 56 (4) 
			 December (4) 24 (4) 
			 
			  2004
			 January (4) 25 (4) 
			 February (4) 21 (4) 
			 March (4) 22 (4) 
			 April (4) 44 (4) 
			 May (4) 37 (4) 
			 June (4) 34 (4) 
			 July (4) 41 (4) 
			 August (4) 23 (4) 
			 September (4) 153 (4) 
			 October (4) 25 (4) 
			 November (4) 22 (4) 
			 December (4) 32 (4) 
			 
			  2005
			 January (4, 5) 67 (4, 5) 
			 February (4, 5) 58 (4, 5) 
			 March (4, 5) 50 (4, 5) 
			 April (4, 5) 120 (4, 5) 
			 May (4, 5) 111 (4, 5) 
			 June (4, 5) 122 (4, 5) 
			 July (5) 94 (5) 
			 August (5) 184 (5) 
			 September (5) 272 (5) 
			 October (5) 67 (5) 
			 November (5) 65 (5) 
			 December (5, 6) 35 (5) 
			 
			  2006
			 January (5, 6) (7) (5) 
			 February (6) (7) 123 
			 March (6) (7) 26 
			 April (6) (7) 78 
			 May (6) 72 413 
			 June 2,288 64 452 
			 July 2,225 39 162 
			 August 2,712 45 273 
			 September 2,095 22 90 
			 October 1,764 12 17 
			 November 1,919 24 58 
			 December 1,176 8 38 
			 
			  2007
			 January 1,775 16 157 
			 February 1,843 14 43 
			 March 1,735 12 44 
			 April 1,906 30 165 
			 (1) Where the caller selected an option from the call steering menu and was put in a queue to speak to an adviser. (2) Where the caller selected an option from the call steering menu and was put in a queue to speak to an adviser but the call was terminated before the caller spoke to an adviser. (3) Prior to December 2005, figures refer to tax credits GB as Northern Ireland had a separate tax credit helpline, which was not part of the overall HMRC contact centre network. The figures from December 2005, include Northern Ireland. (4) Detail provided previously, 10 October 2005,  Official Report, column 322W. (5) Detail provided previously, 14 March 2006,  Official Report, column 2137W. (6) Detail provided previously, 20 June 2006,  Official Report, column 1858W. (7) Detail provided previously, 5 June 2006,  Official Report, columns 187-88W.

Welfare Tax Credits: Telephone Services

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many calls there were to the hon. Members' tax credit helpline in each month from April 2003 to June 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: For the number of calls answered by the Tax Credit Office MP Hotline up to the end of 2005 I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for St. Albans (Anne Main) on 21 March 2006,  Official Report, column 348W. The number of calls received for each month from January 2006 to May 2007 is shown below. The information for June 2007 is not yet available.
	
		
			  Month  Number of calls to Tax Credit Office MPs' hotline 
			  2006:  
			 January 1,712 
			 February 1,195 
			 March 1,241 
			 April 1,164 
			 May 1,402 
			 June 1,535 
			 July 1,294 
			 August 1,348 
			 September 1,398 
			 October 1,599 
			 November 1,823 
			 December 1,458 
			   
			  2007:  
			 January 1,498 
			 February 1,351 
			 March 1,490 
			 April 1,199 
			 May 1,286

Working Tax Credits: Farmers and Fishermen

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of farmers were in receipt of working tax credits in  (a) Cornwall,  (b) the South West and  (c) the UK in each year since 2000;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of fishermen were in receipt of working tax credits in  (a) Cornwall,  (b) the South West and (c) the UK in each year since 2000.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Birkenhead (Mr. Field) on 15 May 2007,  Official Report, column 691W.

Written Questions

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to answer questions  (a) 131114, on the marginal rate of taxation, and  (b) 131115, on income tax, tabled on 28 March; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Balls: I have answered the two questions concerned.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Access to Work Programme: Hearing Impaired

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidelines are issued to Access to Work staff on the provision of communication support professionals for deaf and hard of hearing employees; and how they are enforced.

Anne McGuire: Updated and strengthened guidance on the provision of support workers, including communication support for deaf and hard of hearing people, was issued to all Access to Work Business Centres in December 2006. The guidance describes the types of support that may be suitable, for example British Sign Language Interpreters, lip speakers and palantypists, as well as the steps to take to establish the type and level of appropriate support.
	A National Access to Work Delivery Team has been established and has been fully operational since April. The National Access to Work Delivery Manager has appointed two senior operations managers who are responsible for improving consistency of decision making nationally and for regularly monitoring that business centres comply with national guidelines.

Access to Work Programme: Hearing Impaired

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what level of proficiency is expected of a sign language interpreter booked through Access to Work; and how his Department ensures that this standard is met.

Anne McGuire: The proficiency of sign language interpreters can vary from junior trainee interpreter to someone who is a Member of the Register of Sign Language Interpreters. Access to Work will fund the level of interpretation services appropriate for each individual situation. In order to decide on the required level, Access to Work staff need to consider a range of factors, for example the type and size of the event or meeting.
	A national Access to Work delivery team has been established and has been fully operational since April. The national Access to Work delivery manager has appointed two senior operations managers whose duties include the regular monitoring of business centres to ensure they comply with national guidelines.

Access to Work Programme: Hearing Impaired

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the Access to Work scheme will pay for the use of more than one sign language interpreter for deaf British sign language users attending meetings lasting more than two hours.

Anne McGuire: I refer my hon. Friend to the written answer I gave the right hon. Member for Gordon (Malcolm Bruce) on 15 January 2007,  Official Report, column 880W.

Carer's Allowance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the cost of removing the gainfully employed rule which prevents carers from earning over 87 a week if they are claiming carer's allowance.

Anne McGuire: The estimated cost of removing the gainfully employed rule from carer's allowance would be around 450 million per year.

Carer's Allowance

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are in receipt of the carer's allowance in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) the UK; and how many received this allowance in each case in each year since its inception.

Anne McGuire: The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Carer's allowancecases in payment (caseload) 
			   November 2006  August 2006  August 2005  August 2004  August 2003 
			 Jarrow parliamentary constituency 900 880 850 840 790 
			 South Tyneside local authority 1,600 1,590 1,530 1,470 1,400 
			 North East 26,470 26,350 25,950 25,380 24,640 
			 Total GB 458,930 456,700 445,430 426,340 400,180 
			  Notes: 1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Some additional disclosure control has also been applied. 3. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 4. Totals show the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and excludes people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended. 5. Prior to August 2003, figures are based on those with entitlement only. This means that caseloads cannot be broken down by whether or not a case is in payment. 6. The total in receipt also includes a small number of people who are temporarily abroad so not actually present in GB.  Source:  DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.

Carer's Allowance: Blackpool

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Blackpool, North and Fleetwood  (a) receive and  (b) are entitled to carers' benefits.

Anne McGuire: The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of people in Blackpool, North and Fleetwood parliamentary constituency in receipt of and entitled to carers' benefitsNovember 2006 
			   In receipt  Entitled 
			 Carer's allowance (CA) 970 2,000 
			 Income support with a carer premium 480 480 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Recipients of IS carer's premium may also be entitled to or receiving CA. 3. CA recipient totals show the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and excludes people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended. 4. CA entitled totals show the number of people who are entitled to receive CA, including those who receive no actual payment.  Source:  DWP Information Directorate 100 per cent. WPLS 
		
	
	The vast majority of these entitled to but not receiving CA are pensioners and are likely to be receiving state pension and may receive the carers' premium in pension credit. Only one benefit at a time can be paid for the same purpose. While the circumstances that give rise to entitlement to CA and the state pension are different, both benefits are designed to provide a degree of replacement for lost or forgone income.

Carer's Allowance: Forms

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent representations he has received from voluntary organisations on the ease of use of carer's allowance claim forms DS700(1) and DS700(2).

Anne McGuire: The administration of carer's allowance is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Disability and Carers Service, Mr. Terry Moran. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Terry Moran, dated 25 June 2007:
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent representations he has received from voluntary organisations on the ease of use of carer's allowance claim forms DS700(1) and DS700(2).
	The Minister for Disabled People, Anne McGuire MP, promised you a substantive reply from the Chief Executive of the Disability and Carers Service (DCS).
	I can confirm that there have been no recent representations received concerning the ease of use of the Carers Allowance claim forms DS700(1) and DS700(2). However, very positive comments have been received following the introduction of a shorter Carers Allowance claim form (DS700 (SP)) last year.
	This form asks customers of pension age only the basic, relevant questions for claiming Carers Allowance and is intended to be used where the customer's State Pension is in payment and will overlap with payment of Carers Allowance.
	In developing this form, the DCS were proactive in seeking the comments of the voluntary sector by consulting with the DCS Advisory Forum, which is our main consultation mechanism and consists of representatives from 17 national customer organisations. We received many helpful comments that helped to shape the final claim form.
	I hope this reply is helpful.

Carers: Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the value of the pension pot secured by a median carer in a defined benefit opted-out scheme from the opted-out rebates paid from age 25 to 65 years; and if he will make a statement.

James Purnell: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave him on 18 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1541.

Child Support Act 1991

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the cost of repealing sections 6 and 46 of the Child Support Act 1991; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The overall impact of the measures in the Child Maintenance and Other Payments Bill are set out in the regulatory impact assessment (RIA) which was published alongside the Bill. The impact of the repeal of section 6 and 46 can be found in the RIA, paragraphs 34 to 53.

Child Support Agency: Internet

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) individual hits there were on and  (b) unique users of the Child Support Agency website in each month since 2001.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 25 June 2007:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many individuals hits and unique users used the Child Support Agency (CSA) website in each month since 2001.
	Such information as is available is in the attached table. We do not have any information collected for this prior to September 2002.
	Please note that:
	A visit is what we count when someone comes to the web site.
	A hit is a request to the server for information. If a page contains images then there is one hit for the page and one for each image contained on the page. For instance someone viewing the home page of the website will count as one visitor but six hitsone for the page itself and one for each of the five images on the page.
	Unique visitors are individuals who visited the site during the report period. If someone visits more than once, they are counted only the first time they visit.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.
	
		
			  Appendix 1 
			  Month  Hits  Visits  Unique visitors 
			  2002
			 September (part month) 699,543 21,347 8,248 
			 October 1,469,081 47,810 15,520 
			 November 1,661,346 49,072 15,145 
			 December 1,298,095 38,919 12,329 
			 
			  2003
			 January 661,259 56,356 21,722 
			 February 584,819 51,485 21,673 
			 March 546,714 57,837 23,685 
			 April 562,235 60,604 25,418 
			 May 557,047 59,768 25,546 
			 June 572,299 59,929 25,193 
			 July 640,057 65,333 26,683 
			 August 623,767 60,941 25,424 
			 September 730,894 68,200 30,817 
			 October 3,219,468 80,726 33,618 
			 November 3,680,544 76,516 31,170 
			 December 2,670,561 61,971 24,407 
			 
			  2004
			 January 4,628,891 88,218 35,452 
			 February 4,015,477 79,765 31,633 
			 March 4,600,627 79,765 35,605 
			 April 3,563,553 92,771 35,605 
			 May 3,734,473 81,977 31,401 
			 June 3,916,304 82,143 32,074 
			 July 3,863,360 81,810 31,977 
			 August 3,990,877 86,181 35,143 
			 September 4,420,653 96,184 41,496 
			 October 4,967,993 210,050 104,561 
			 November 4,959,809 164,747 83,129 
			 December 3,002,242 71,018 26,280 
			 
			  2005
			 January 5,202,361 103,127 44,094 
			 February 4,137,837 94,497 39,410 
			 March 4,150,312 102,238 41,334 
			 April 4,079,402 98,119 40,462 
			 May 4,018,123 97,564 39,921 
			 June 4,066,776 102,043 42,420 
			 July 4,066,406 105,007 42,989 
			 August 4,288,431 109,647 45,924 
			 September 4,753,980 114,756 50,651 
			 October 4,359,862 110,902 48,323 
			 November 4,447,157 116,448 49,110 
			 December 3,080,160 91,645 36,061 
			  2006
			 January 5,170,398 136,749 64,211 
			 February 3,486,401 129,298 55,499 
			 March 3,526,061 125,992 56,858 
			 April 2,801,416 109,426 49,912 
			 May 3,089,939 119,029 53,133 
			 June 3,008,979 117,451 52,398 
			 July 3,220,869 117,451 52,398 
			 August 3,271,955 124,615 58,782 
			 September 3,549,710 131,574 62,593 
			 October 3,342,967 133,012 62,537 
			 November 3,171,318 128,577 62,126 
			 December 2,275,975 111,471 52,545 
			 
			  2007
			 January 3,470,262 163,122 82,788 
			 February 3,002,254 151,937 77,780 
			 March 3,302,491 170,932 86,549 
			 April 2,989,114 155,090 81,166

Child Support Agency: Marketing

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how much was spent on  (a) managing the Child Support Agency's (CSA) corporate identity in each year since 1997-98 and  (b) branding of the CSA in each of the last two years;
	(2)  how much was spent by the Child Support Agency on  (a) staff parties,  (b) newspapers, magazines and periodicals,  (c) stationery and  (d) other promotional merchandise branded with the name of the Child Support Agency in each of the last five years;
	(3)  how much was spent by the Child Support Agency on branding in each year since 1997.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.

Child Support Agency: Prosecutions

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Child Support Agency cases have resulted in court proceedings in the last 12 months.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 25 June 2007:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Child Support Agency cases have resulted in court proceedings in the last 12 months.
	Such information as is available is contained in the attached tables. There are two forms of court proceedings undertaken by the Child Support Agency; Civil and Criminal. The Child Support Agency Quarterly Summary Statistics provides the latest available information you require for Civil Court proceedings to January 2007. I have attached this information and additional information on Criminal Court proceedings in Annex A.
	A copy of the Child Support Agency Quarterly Summary Statistics is available in the House of Commons Library, or on the Internet via the following link:
	www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/child_support/csa_quarterly_mar07.asp
	I hope you find this answer helpful.
	
		
			  Table 1: Civil court proceedings 
			   February 2006 to January 2007 
			 Total Civil Proceedings undertaken 34,015 
			   
			  England and Wales  
			 Liability Orders 12,490 
			 Distress Actions 12,985 
			 County Court Judgments 1,840 
			 3(rd) Party Debt Orders 1,995 
			 Charging Orders 1,685 
			   
			  Scotland  
			 Liability Orders Granted 845 
			 Attachments 255 
			 Arrestments 615 
			 Bills of Inhibition 850 
			   
			  England, Wales and Scotland  
			 Suspended committal sentences 385 
			 Committal Sentences 40 
			 Suspended driving licence disqualifications sentences 30 
			 Driving licence disqualification sentences 5 
			  Notes: 1 The table details the number of civil proceedings undertaken and not the number of Child Support Agency cases resulting in court proceedings. 2. A liability order is a document obtained from the court showing that they legally recognise that the debt is owing. This is the same in both England and Wales and Scotland. This is required before the Agency can use litigation powers (Diligence in Scotland). 3. Distress actions refers to bailiff actions in England and Wales. This is where, once the debt has been legally recognised, the Agency has passed the debt to a bailiff company for collection (or equivalent). 4. County court judgment orders apply only to England and Wales. Registers the person with a county court judgment order, which remains on their credit record for six years. 5. Third party debt orders in England and Wales instruct a third party to pay any funds owed to, or held on behalf of, the non-resident parent to the Agency instead. In practice, this is typically used for banks and building societies. 6. Charging orders in England and Wales are where a county court order for the legally recognised debt is attached to the equity in the non-resident parent's property. They are then unable to re-mortgage or sell the property without satisfying the debt. If they satisfy the debt by other means, the charge is removed. 7. Attachments refer to actions taken by sheriff officers in Scotland on the Agency's instruction to attach certain goods and remove for auction if the debt is not settled. 8. Arrestments refer to actions taken by sheriff officers in Scotland on the Agency's instruction to serve an arrestment on a third party holding funds owed to, or held on behalf of, the non-resident parent to pay to the Agency instead. In practice this is typically used for banks and building societies. 9. Bills of Inhibition in Scotland do not attach directly to the non-resident parent's property, but are a personal prohibition preventing heritable property being transferred, alienated or disposed of by the non-resident parent. 10. Note that the figures for the most recent months are provisional, and may be subject to retrospective revisions. 11. Figures are rounded to the nearest five. 12. The figures included in this table do not themselves have National Statistics status, but are included in this publication in order to give a fuller picture of the Agency's performance. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Criminal court proceedings 
			   Number taken to court 12 months to March 2007 
			 Total Criminal Proceedings 498 
			 Failure to provide information 490 
			 Knowingly providing false information 4 
			 Failure to implement a deduction from earnings order 2 
			 Obstructing an Inspector 2 
			  Notes: 1. Criminal proceedings are undertaken when a non-resident parent either fails to comply with a request for information; knowingly makes a false statement, or provides information they know to be false. 2. Criminal proceedings can also be made against employers for failing to apply a deduction of earnings order when asked or for obstructing a child support inspector in the course of their duties or for failing to co-operate with the inspector.

Child Support Agency

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total caseload of the Child Support Agency was in each  (a) quarter and  (b) year since 2003; what he estimates the caseload of the Agency and its successor will be in each (i) quarter and (ii) year to 2014; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: I refer the hon. Member for Yeovil to parliamentary question 141939 answered today.

Child Support Agency

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) third party debt orders and  (b) charging orders were (i) sought by and (ii) granted to the Child Support Agency in each (A) quarter and (B) year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 25 June 2007:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question regarding the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) third party debt orders and (b) charging orders were (i) sought by and (ii) granted to the Child Support Agency in each (A) quarter and (B) year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.
	Once a liability order has been registered with the County Court the Agency may apply to the court for a charging order and/or third party debt order. The following table details the number of applications made to the court for each enforcement action.
	The Agency does not routinely collate the number of final orders granted by the court. The following table details the number of applications made to the county court for each enforcement action since 1998.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.
	
		
			  Table 1: numbers of charging orders and third party debt orders granted in each year from April 1998 to January 2007 
			   April 1998March 1999  April 1999March 2000  April 2000March 2001  April 2001March 2002  April 2002March 2003  April 2003March 2004  April 2004March 2005  April 2005March 2006  February 2006January 2007 
			 Charging orders applied for 204 130 254 314 751 1,395 *1,235 *1,710 *1,995 
			 Third party debt orders applied for 62 69 224 326 750 922 *845 *1,335 *1,685 
			  Notes: 1. Third Party Debt orders in England and Wales instruct a third party to pay any funds owed to, or held on behalf of, the non-resident parent to the Agency instead. In practice this is typically used for banks and building societies. 2. Charging orders in England and Wales are where a County Court Order for the legally recognised debt is attached to the equity in the non-resident parent's property. They are then unable to re-mortgage or sell the property without satisfying the debt. If they satisfy the debt by other means the charge is removed. 3. The figures marked with an asterix are sourced from the Agency's Quarterly Summary Statistics. Prior to April 2004, the figures given were clerically collated and are actual figures, not subject to rounding. 4. Figures sourced from the Agency's Quarterly Summary Statistics are rounded to the nearest five. 5. The figures for 2006-07 are from February 2006 to January 2007 and these are the latest figures published available.

Children: Maintenance

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how long, on average, parents with care in receipt of benefits awaited payment in  (a) old scheme and  (b) new scheme Child Support Agency cases in each month since January 2003.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is the matter for the Chief Executive.
	He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 25 June 2007:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how long on average parents with care in receipt of benefits awaited payment in (a) old scheme and (b) new scheme Child Support Agency cases in each month since January 2003.
	Such information as is available can be found in the attached table, which shows both the number of months that parents with care in receipt of benefits and with a positive liability, to whom maintenance is due have been awaiting payment from the non-resident parent and the median average wait experienced by all parents with care on benefits. Figures for the new scheme should be taken in the context of that for a new caseload, and that for the old scheme in the context of an ageing caseload that is no longer receiving any new cases. In addition, any increase in the total number of non-compliant cases should be viewed in the context of an increase in the overall caseload over the same period.
	It should be noted that, in establishing whether a parent with care was in receipt of benefit, the Agency has to match its data to DWP benefit data. The DWP information is only available on a quarterly basis; the latest available is for August 2006.
	As you will be aware, the Agency has committed in its Operational Improvement Plan, published in February 2006, to improve performance, including that 80 per cent. of new applications will be cleared within 12 weeks of receipt by March 2009 and helping 200,000 more children to benefit from maintenance payments, equating to an additional 140 million in maintenance collected, by March 2008, growing to 250 million by March 2009.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.
	
		
			  Table 1: The number of months that cases with a positive maintenance liability have been awaiting payment from the non resident parent, and the median average wait where the parent with care was in receipt of benefit, May 2003 to August 2006, by scheme 
			   Cases paying in month  Cases waiting less than 3 months  Cases waiting 3 to 6 months  Cases waiting 6 to 12 months  Cases waiting 1 to 2 years  Cases waiting Over 2 years  Time bands of Median average wait for maintenance for all PWC's on benefit 
			  New Scheme
			 May 2003 - 4,000 - - - - 0-3 months 
			 August 2003 1,000 9,000 3,000 - - . 0-3 months 
			 November 2003 4,000 16,000 6,000 2,000 - - 0-3 months 
			 February 2004 8,000 14,000 11,000 7,000 - - 0-3 months 
			 May 2004 13,000 14,000 9,000 12,000 1,000 - 0-3 months 
			 August 2004 18,000 13,000 9,000 14,000 5,000 - 0-3 months 
			 November 2004 23,000 13,000 8,000 12,000 9,000 - 0-3 months 
			 February 2005 28,000 14,000 8,000 11,000 12,000 - 0-3 months 
			 May 2005 35,000 16,000 8,000 11,000 14,000 1,000 0-3 months 
			 August 2005 42,000 17,000 9,000 11,000 14,000 3,000 0-3 months 
			 November 2005 48,000 20,000 10,000 12,000 13,000 5,000 0-3 months 
			 February 2006 56,000 22,000 11,000 13,000 13,000 7,000 0-3 months 
			 May 206 68,000 21,000 11,000 14,000 13,000 9,000 In Payment 
			 August 2006 75,000 22,000 11,000 14,000 14,000 10,000 In Payment 
			  Old Scheme
			 May 2003 85,000 25,000 6,000 8,000 8,000 23,000 In Payment 
			 August 2003 78,000 20,000 14,000 9,000 9,000 21,000 In Payment 
			 November 2003 71,000 16,000 9,000 14,000 9,000 19,000 In Payment 
			 February 2004 65,000 15,000 7,000 14,000 10,000 20,000 0-3 months 
			 May 2004 62,000 12,000 6,000 10,000 13,000 19,000 In Payment 
			 August 2004 60,000 11,000 5,000 9,000 14,000 19,000 In Payment 
			 November 2004 56,000 13,000 5,000 8,000 18,000 21,000 0-3 months 
			 February 2005 51,000 8,000 8,000 7,000 17,000 21,000 0-3 months 
			 May 2005 49,000 8,000 3,000 10,000 14,000 26,000 0-3 months 
			 August 2005 48,000 6,000 3,000 9,000 12,000 28,000 0-3 months 
			 November 2005 46,000 5,000 3,000 5,000 13,000 29,000 0-3 months 
			 February 2006 43,000 7,000 2,000 5,000 11,000 29,000 3-6 months 
			 May 2006 44,000 5,000 2,000 4,000 10,000 28,000 0-3 months 
			 August 2006 42,000 6,000 2,000 3,000 9,000 28,000 0-3 months 
			  Total - Both Schemes
			 May 2003 85,000 28,000 6,000 8,000 8,000 23,000 In Payment 
			 August 2003 78,000 29,000 17,000 9,000 9,000 21,000 0-3 months 
			 November 2003 75,000 31,000 15,000 16,000 9,000 19,000 0-3 months 
			 February 2004 73,000 29,000 18,000 20,000 10,000 20,000 0-3 months 
			 May 2004 75,000 26,000 15,000 23,000 15,000 19,000 0-3 months 
			 August 2004 78,000 24,000 14,000 23,000 19,000 19,000 0-3 months 
			 November 2004 79,000 26,000 12,000 20,000 27,000 21,000 0-3 months 
			 February 2005 79,000 22,000 16,000 18,000 29,000 21,000 0-3 months 
			 May 2005 84,000 24,000 11,000 21,000 28,000 26,000 0-3 months 
			 August 2005 90,000 24,000 13,000 20,000 26,000 30,000 0-3 months 
			 November 2005 95,000 25,000 13,000 17,000 27,000 34,000 0-3 months 
			 February 2006 99,000 28,000 14,000 18,000 24,000 36,000 0-3 months 
			 May 2006 112,000 27,000 13,000 18,000 23,000 37,000 0-3 months 
			 August 2006 116,000 28,000 13,000 18,000 22,000 38,000 0-3 months 
			  Notes to table: 1. Due to limitations with available management information, it is not possible to calculate the mean average time that cases have been waiting for a payment; hence the table shows the median average time band (in months) either since a payment was received on the case or since the case was calculated as having a positive liability. 2. The table shows cases where the parent with care was on benefit at the end of the month shown. This does not necessarily mean that the parent with care has been on benefit for the entire duration of the CSA claim. 3. Cases are classed as waiting if they are currently open, either non-compliant or have a calculation/assessment but no active charging schedule in place, and no maintenance has been received in the quarter ending with the month shown. 4. The table includes both old scheme cases on the old computer system and old scheme cases, which have been migrated onto the new computer system. 5. The table starts from May 2003, as this is the first month it is possible to provide comparable data across both the new and old schemes. 6. Numbers are rounded to the nearest thousand. '-' Indicates a figure less than 500.

Children: Maintenance

Jimmy Hood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what measures are in place for the Child Support Agency to reimburse payments of child maintenance collected by the Agency through deductions from earnings orders imposed after liability had ceased; whether interest accrued is passed on; and what time limits are set for the Agency to effect reimbursements.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 25 June 2007:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what measures are in place for the Child Support Agency to reimburse payments of child maintenance collected by the Agency through deductions from earnings orders imposed after liability had ceased; whether interest accrued is passed on; and what time limits are set for the Agency to effect reimbursements.
	It is Child Support Agency Policy that any money sent in error must be refunded; even if the receipt has already been paid out to the third party. Where a deduction from earning order continues in force once liability has ceased, the Agency aims to reimburse such payments of child maintenance to employers, with ten working days following a request to reimburse. The Agency does not calculate interest accrued on individual payments. However the Agency is able to consider redress where the non-resident parent has suffered financial loss as a result of an error made by the Agency.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Children: Maintenance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what proportion of Child Support Agency liability order applications were inaccurate in any particular for each quarter since March 1997; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of liability orders made by the Child Support Agency which were incorrect in each year since 1997.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 25 June 2007:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of Child Support Agency Liability order applications were inaccurate in any way for each quarter since March 1997; and if he will make a statement.
	And;
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of Liability Orders made by the Child Support Agency, which were incorrect in each year since 1997.
	To ensure the Agency applies for an appropriate Liability Order, a number of management checks are undertaken prior to a Liability Order application being made, including the provision of an account audit. In a small percentage of cases the Agency may identify a case where a Liability Order has been granted but subsequently discovered an issue, which requires remedial action before further civil proceedings can be considered. This information is set out in the attached Table 1.
	In addition, although Magistrates are not able to consider the accuracy of the Agency's debt calculation, the Courts can dismiss an Agency Liability Order application following representation from the Non-Resident Parent. Information on cases dismissed by the courts is set out in the attached Tables 2  3.
	The software for recording data was introduced in 2003, therefore information is not available on the earlier years.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.
	
		
			  Table 1: Liability orders, further Agency work required 
			  Quarterly period  Inaccurate liability order applications (Percentage) 
			 April 2004 to June 2004 2.5 
			 July 2004 to September 2004 2.9 
			 October 2004 to December 2004 2.6 
			 January 2005 to March 2005 2.7 
			 April 2005 to June 2005 3.5 
			 July 2005 to September 2005 2.5 
			 October 2005 to December 2005 1.3 
			 January 2006 to March 2006 2.6 
			 April 2006 to June 2006 2.3 
			 July 2006 to September 2006 1.5 
			 October 2006 to December 2006 1.2 
			 January 2007 to March 2007 1.9 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2 : Liability orders,  dismissed by the courts, England and Wales 
			  Quarterly period  Percentage of  liability order applications  dismissed 
			 April 2004 to June 2004 0.0 
			 July 2004 to September 2004 0.3 
			 October 2004 to December 2004 0.1 
			 January 2005 to March 2005 0.3 
			 April 2005 to June 2005 0.6 
			 July 2005 to September 2005 0.4 
			 October 2005 to December 2005 0.7 
			 January 2006 to March 2006 0.4 
			 April 2006 to June 2006 0.5 
			 July 2006 to September 2006 0.3 
			 October 2006 to December 2006 0.4 
			 January 2007 to March 2007 0.4 
			  Notes: 1. Information on liability orders accepted by the courts by requiring remedial work by the Agency before enforcement action is only available from April 2004. 2. Information on liability orders rejected by courts in England and Wales only available from April 2004. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3 :  Rejected  liability orders,  dismissed by the courts, Scotland 
			  Quarterly period  Percentage of  liability order applications  dismissed 
			 April 2006 to June 2006 0.0 
			 July 2006 to September 2006 0.0 
			 October 2006 to December 2006 0.0 
			 January 2007 to March 2007 0.0 
			  Note : 1. Information on liability orders dismissed by Scottish courts is only available from April 2006.

Children: Maintenance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the likely effect on Child Support Agency compliance levels of naming and shaming on a website those non-compliant non-resident parents who have been successfully prosecuted; what the annual cost of the procedure is estimated to be; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many names of non-compliant non-resident parents he expects to be placed on the Child Support Agency website in each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 25 June 2007:
	In reply to your recent parliamentary question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the likely effect in Child Support Agency compliance levels of naming and shaming on a website those non-compliant non-resident parents who have been successfully prosecuted; what the annual cost of the procedure is estimated to be; and if he will make a statement.
	and
	.
	The decision to publish the names of successfully prosecuted non-compliant parents on the Child Support Agency website is only one measure in a broad programme aiming to build a culture of compliance among non-resident parents. The intention is to promote the message that not paying for your children is not a choice you can make, refusal to pay brings consequences including being named and shamed.
	The cost of publishing this information is negligible; information on successful prosecutions is currently gathered as a matter of course and publishing names on our website will take place as part of regular maintenance activity, any remaining cost relates to our decision to consult parents with care which places little burden on our resources.
	The number of names published on the Agency website is dependent on the numbers of non compliant non-resident parents found guilty in open court of refusing to provide information to enable child maintenance assessment to be made. In the 12 months to March 2007, there were 485 such successful prosecutions. However we hope that even those who are most determined to avoid their legal responsibilities will respond positively, such that this measure is not required in the future.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Children: Maintenance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the caseload of the Child Support Agency and its successor, the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, for each quarter from March 1997 to March 2012; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The caseload of the Child Support Agency is published in the Quarterly Summary Statistics (QSS). The table 1 of the QSS shows the reported caseload of the Child Support Agency between May 1999 and March 2007. The caseload before this date is not reported by the Quarterly Summary Statistics as changes in the calculation methodology mean that the numbers are not comparable. Table 6 of the QSS shows the number of CSA cases with a calculation from February 1997. The table can be found at:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/child_support/csa_quarterly_mar07.asp
	It is estimated that the steady state caseload of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission will be approximately one million. However, this estimate is subject to significant behavioural uncertainty and is dependent on the exact policy design and future decisions made by the Commission. It is therefore not possible to give quarterly estimates due to these dependencies.
	The research report Summary of Child Maintenance Redesign SurveyIndications of future behaviour and choices was published on 22 June and provides further evidence to underpin the planning assumptions. The Department for Work and Pensions is currently conducting further research to assess demand for the services that the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission will offer through the Relationship Separation Survey which is due to be published in spring 2008.

Children: Maintenance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much outstanding liability there is in respect of  (a) interest under the Child Support (Arrears, Interest and Adjustment of Maintenance Assessments) Regulations 1992 (S.I. 1992/1816) and  (b) fees under the Child Support Fees Regulations 1992 (S.I. 1992/3094).

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty dated 25 June 2007:
	In reply to your recent parliamentary question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much outstanding liability there is in respect of  (a) interest under the Child Support (Arrears Interest and Adjustment of Maintenance Assessments) Regulations 1992 (S.I. 1992/1816) and  (b) fees under the Child Support Fees Regulations 1992 (S.I. 1992/3094).
	The Child Support Fees Regulations 1992 , S.I. 1992/3094 were repealed in 1996 and the Agency no longer charges interest on arrears of child support maintenance. As at March 31March 2006, 1.966 million in interest has been charged on outstanding maintenance.
	Fees under the Child Support Fees Regulations 1992 (S.I. 1992/3094) have not been charged since the 1994-95 financial year as the Agency no longer has the powers to charge interest since the powers to do so were repealed in 1996. As at 31 March 2006 the outstanding balance on fees recoverable from non-resident parents was 12.35 million.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Children: Maintenance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how the 100 parents with care written to by the Child Support Agency (CSA) in June 2007 informing them that their non compliant non-resident parent's name would be displayed on the CSA website unless they objected were selected;
	(2)  if he will place in the Library a copy of the letter sent to parents with care which informed them that their non compliant non-resident parent's name would be displayed on the Child Support Agency (CSA) website unless they objected.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 25 June 2007:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how the 100 parents with care written to by the Child Support Agency (CSA) in June 2007 informing them that their non compliant non-resident parent's name would be displayed on the CSA website unless they objected were selected (143588), and
	If he will place in the Library a copy of the letter sent to parents with care which informed them that their non compliant non-resident parent's name would be displayed on the Child Support Agency (CSA) website unless they objected (143589).
	The Agency identified those non-resident parents who were successfully prosecuted from January to March 2007 for either supplying incorrect information or failing to provide information.
	We did not write to the parents with care where our records indicated that there was a possibility that the non-resident parent was potentially violent, where the case status was 'closed' or where there was insufficient contact details for the parent with care.
	I have placed a copy of the letter sent to the parents with care in the Library, as requested.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Children: Maintenance

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the  (a) average and  (b) maximum time has been for child maintenance payments to be processed by the Child Support Agency and made available to the parent with care in the last 12 months.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 19 June 2007
	The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 25 June 2007:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the  (a) average and  (b) maximum time has been for child maintenance payments to be processed by the Child Support Agency and made available to the parent with care in the last 12 months.
	Information is available for those cases on the Agency's CS2 computer system. Equivalent data on CSCS payments is not available.
	In the year to March 2007 the average number of calendar days between a payment being cleared in the Agency's bank account and paid out to the Parent With Care was 2 days. This excludes the time taken to clear the funds on receipt from the Non-Resident Parent.
	Around 32 per cent. of payments are paid out on the same day, and 93 per cent. are paid out within 7 days of the money being cleared. Unfortunately information on the maximum number of days is not routinely recorded, and therefore not readily available. We cannot provide an answer to part b) of your question.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Children: Maintenance

Tom Levitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many driving licences were seized from payment defaulters as a result of enforcement action by the Child Support Agency in each year since the sanction was introduced.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to my hon. Friend with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 25 June 2007:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many driving licences were seized from payment defaulters as a result of enforcement action by the Child Support Agency in each year since the sanction was introduced.
	The power to withdraw driving licences was brought into effect on 2 April 2001 (under the Child Support, Pensions and Social Security Act 2000). The court, not the Agency selects the withdrawal of driving licences, committal to prison or a suspended sentence following a successful action brought by the Agency.
	The information provided in the attached table, relates to the total driving licence sentences passed for the United Kingdom. Prior to 2002, the Agency did not maintain a robust system for reporting sentences. The Agency's system for reporting includes sentences passed for England, Wales and Scotland.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.
	
		
			  Table 1: Numbers of Committals and Driving Licences 
			   April 2002  to  March 2003  April 2003 to  March 2004  April 2004 to  March 2005  April 2005 to  March 2006  February 2006  to  January 2007 
			 Number of suspended prison sentences passed 36 107 *225 *390 *385 
			 Number of Prison Sentences passed 4 9 *5 *15 *40 
			 Number of suspended driving licence disqualification sentences passed 7 9 *25 *35 *30 
			 Number of driving licence disqualification sentences passed 1 1 *5 *5 *5 
			  Notes: 1. The figures marked with an asterix are sourced from the Agency's Quarterly Summary Statistics. Prior to April 2004, the figures given were clerically collated and are actual figures, not subject to rounding. 2. Figures sourced from the Agency's Quarterly Summary Statistics are rounded to the nearest five. 3. The figures for 2006-07 are from February 2006 to January 2007 and these are the latest figures published available.

Children: Maintenance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many parents with care written to by the Child Support Agency (CSA) have not agreed to have the details of their non-compliant non-resident parent displayed on the CSA website.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 25 June 2007:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions regarding the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Parents with Care written to by the Child Support Agency (CSA) have not agreed to have the details of their non-complaint Non-Resident Parent displayed on the CSA website.
	The Agency, as part of the Enforcement Campaign, issued letters to parents with care on 6 June 2007, requesting their consent to name successfully prosecuted non-resident parents on the Agency website. The parent with care was asked to reply before 20 June 2007. The target date has now passed, and the Agency has the active consent to publish the names of 40 non-resident parents to date. Only 18 parents with care have actively refused to consent to the non-resident parent being named.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Children: Maintenance

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many deductions from earnings orders sought by the Child Support Agency were  (a) successfully and  (b) unsuccessfully appealed in each month since March 2003.

James Plaskitt: The information requested is not available.

Children: Maintenance

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of incorrect  (a) old scheme and  (b) new scheme child maintenance assessments made in each month since March 2003 were incorrect to within (i) 1p, (ii) 10p, (iii) 1, (iv) 5, (v) 10 and (vi) 20 or more of the correct amount.

James Plaskitt: The information requested is not available.

Children: Maintenance

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of  (a) old scheme and  (b) new scheme child maintenance assessments made in each month since March 2003 were incorrect.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 25 June 2007:
	In reply to your recent parliamentary question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of  (a) old scheme and  (b) new scheme child maintenance assessments made in each month since March 2003 were incorrect.
	Information is only available on the proportion of incorrect assessments from March 2004. This is presented in the attached table. Information on accuracy is collected from a small sample of cases and therefore the overall number of incorrect assessments is not available.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.
	
		
			  The proportion of incorrect assessments 2004 to 2007 
			  Reporting Period  Old Scheme (%)  New Scheme (%) 
			 August 2003 to July 2004 16 19 
			 September 2003 to August 2004 16 20 
			 October 2003 to September 2004 17 20 
			 November 2003 to October 2004 18 21 
			 December 2003 to November 2004 19 22 
			 January 2004 to December 2004 18 22 
			 February 2004 to January 2005 19 24 
			 March 2004 to February 2005 20 25 
			 April 2004 to March 2005 22 25 
			 May 2004 to April 2005 22 25 
			 June 2004 to May 2005 22 25 
			 July 2004 to June 2005 23 25 
			 August 2004 to July 2005 23 25 
			 September 2004 to August 2005 23 24 
			 October 2004 to September 2005 22 24 
			 November 2004 to October 2005 22 24 
			 December 2004 to November 2005 20 23 
			 January 2005 to December 2005 21 21 
			 February 2005 to January 2006 20 21 
			 March 2005 to February 2006 18 20 
			 April 2005 to March 2006 16 19 
			 May 2005 to April 2006 16 19 
			 June 2005 to May 2006 16 18 
			 July 2005 to June 2006 15 19 
			 August 2005 to July 2006 15 19 
			 September 2005 to August 2006 15 20 
			 October 2005 to September 2006 15 19 
			 November 2005 to October 2006 16 19 
			 December 2005 to November 2006 16 19 
			 January 2006 to December 2006 16 20 
			 February 2006 to January 2007 16 20 
			 March 2006 to February 2007 18 22 
			 April 2006 to March 2007 17 21 
			  Notes:  1. This table shows the proportion of maintenance decisions (calculations or assessments) carried out in the reporting period that were checked and found to be inaccurate by a penny or more.  2. Figures are calculated on a rolling 12 month basis  3. March 2004 is the earliest data available, and March 2007 is the latest.  4. Percentages are rounded to the nearest whole per cent.

Children: Maintenance

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many unprocessed cases in each London borough were held by the Child Support Agency in each of the last 12 months.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 25 June 2007:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many unprocessed cases in each London borough were held by the Child Support Agency in each of the last 12 months.
	The Agency begins to process new applications as soon as they are received and continues until they have been cleared. Any applications that have not yet been cleared can be regarded as outstanding. The amount of work required to achieve clearance and the elapsed time it involves varies considerably depending on, amongst other things, the circumstances of the parents and how readily they cooperate with the Agency.
	I have provided the available information on uncleared cases in the attached table. It should be noted that that an uncleared application is not necessarily the same as an unprocessed one. Uncleared applications will be at varying stages in the application processes, with very few being completely unprocessed.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.
	
		
			  Volume of uncleared applications in each London borough from April 2006 to March 2007 
			   2006 
			   April  May  Jun e  July  August  September 
			 London GOR 22,480 22,200 22,050 21,790 21,210 20,660 
			
			 Inner LondonWest 2,420 2,360 2,320 2,280 2,220 2,180 
			 Camden 460 450 450 450 440 420 
			 City of London10   
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 510 500 490 490 470 460 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 260 260 260 250 240 240 
			 Wandsworth 790 770 740 720 720 710 
			 Westminster 380 380 380 360 350 340 
			
			 Inner LondonEast 7,670 7,470 7,340 7,210 7,000 6,800 
			 Hackney 830 790 770 750 720 700 
			 Haringey 880 920 890 890 850 820 
			 Islington 690 670 640 640 620 590 
			 Lambeth 1,440 1,410 1,400 1,370 1,340 1,320 
			 Lewisham 1,080 1,050 1,020 990 990 950 
			 Newham 900 870 880 860 790 760 
			 Southwark 1,280 1,200 1,180 1,170 1,140 1,120 
			 Tower Hamlets 580 560 560 550 560 540 
			
			 Outer LondonEast and North East 5,130 5,260 5,290 5,300 5,200 5,040 
			 Barking and Dagenham 840 860 850 830 800 780 
			 Bexley 630 610 600 610 600 580 
			 Enfield 890 970 990 980 970 920 
			 Greenwich 940 900 920 960 960 940 
			 Havering 470 480 460 440 440 410 
			 Redbridge 700 720 730 730 710 700 
			 Waltham Forest 660 740 740 750 720 710 
			
			 Outer LondonSouth 3,140 3,090 3,100 3,080 2,980 2,930 
			 Bromley 720 700 690 690 670 660 
			 Croydon 1,340 1,330 1,350 1,360 1,300 1,280 
			 Kingston upon Thames 200 200 190 180 170 170 
			 Merton 450 430 440 440 430 420 
			 Sutton 430 430 430 420 410 400 
			 Outer LondonWest and North West 4,120 4,030 4,000 3,920 3,810 3,710 
			 Barnet 640 630 650 660 640 620 
			 Brent 670 660 640 620 580 560 
			 Ealing 750 740 730 700 700 680 
			 Harrow 510 480 460 450 430 420 
			 Hillingdon 770 750 740 710 720 710 
			 Hounslow 620 610 600 610 600 590 
			 Richmond upon Thames 170 170 170 170 150 150 
		
	
	
		
			   2006  2007 
			   October  November  December  January  February  March 
			 London GOR 20,290 20,150 20,200 20,050 19,800 18,990 
			
			 Inner LondonWest 2,100 2,080 2,140 2,110 2,060 1,970 
			 Camden 420 410 430 430 420 400 
			 City of London   
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 450 420 440 440 430 410 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 220 220 230 220 220 210 
			 Wandsworth 680 680 700 680 660 630 
			 Westminster 340 340 350 340 330 310 
			
			 Inner London East 6,650 6,600 6,550 6,540 6,500 6,220 
			 Hackney 670 650 640 650 630 590 
			 Haringey 810 810 790 780 790 740 
			 Islington 580 590 600 570 570 530 
			 Lambeth 1,300 1,300 1,280 1,290 1,270 1,210 
			 Lewisham 940 930 930 950 950 920 
			 Newham 770 730 710 680 690 660 
			 Southwark 1,080 1,080 1,090 1,100 1,110 1,100 
			 Tower Hamlets 510 510 510 510 500 460 
			
			 Outer LondonEast and North East 4,970 4,950 4,950 4,900 4,860 4,690 
			 Barking and Dagenham 780 770 790 760 770 760 
			 Bexley 570 580 560 580 590 580 
			 Enfield 880 870 880 840 830 780 
			 Greenwich 920 920 900 900 900 860 
			 Havering 420 430 440 450 450 440 
			 Redbridge 690 680 680 680 650 630 
			 Waltham Forest 710 700 710 700 670 660 
			
			 Outer LondonSouth 2,910 2,880 2,850 2,830 2,790 2,680 
			 Bromley 650 630 620 610 610 590 
			 Croydon 1,290 1,280 1,270 1,270 1,230 1,170 
			 Kingston upon Thames 170 160 160 160 150 140 
			 Merton 400 410 410 400 410 390 
			 Sutton 400 400 390 390 390 390 
			 Outer LondonWest and North West 3,670 3,640 3,700 3,680 3,600 3,430 
			 Barnet 620 620 610 580 560 520 
			 Brent 550 540 530 520 510 500 
			 Ealing 670 670 700 710 700 680 
			 Harrow 390 390 390 390 360 340 
			 Hillingdon 690 670 670 680 660 640 
			 Hounslow 590 600 640 640 650 620 
			 Richmond upon Thames 150 160 150 160 150 150 
			  Notes: 1. A potential new application is cleared when it: has had a calculation and a payment arrangement set up (new scheme only); has had an assessment (old scheme only); has been closed (both schemes); has been identified as having had a good cause decision accepted (both schemes); has been identified as being subject to a reduced benefit decision (both schemes); has been identified as a change of circumstances to an existing case, as opposed to a new application (new scheme only). An application remains uncleared until it achieves one of the states above. It should be noted that that an uncleared application is not necessarily the same as an unprocessed one. As such, uncleared applications will be at varying stages in the application processes, with very few being completely unprocessed.  2.Volumes are rounded to the nearest ten. '' indicates a figure less than 5. 3. This table counts applications for Child Support. Not all applications become live cases. It is not possible to quantify the extent to which the Agency's clerical new-scheme caseload is or is not included in the above numbers. 4. This table does not include those cases where the parent/person with care's residential postcode is not recorded. In some of these cases, the Agency holds a residential address without a postcode; a contact address; or a business address. We have excluded cases that have not yet reached the stage in the process where the postcode information has been confirmed, as it is not possible to associate them to a local authority. At March 2007 there were 35,200 cases with an 'unknown' Local Authority. This equates to 17% of all cases in March 2007.  5. The figures are subject to revision and therefore may differ slightly from previously released figures.

Children: Maintenance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what budget will be allocated to the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission to allow it to assist parents in making their own private arrangements for child maintenance; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: It will be up to the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission to decide how best to deploy its resources to meet its statutory objectives. The overall level of resources allocated to the Commission will be negotiated in the usual way as part of the Department's planning processes.

Children: Maintenance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the average level of maintenance payments for two children  (a) through the existing Child Support Agency on the new scheme and  (b) through the new Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The information requested is as follows.
	 (a) The average maintenance liability for cases where there are two qualifying children through the existing Child Support Agency on the new scheme is 30 per week.
	 (b) With the increased focus on voluntary arrangements and the ending of the requirement that parents with care on benefit be treated as applying for child maintenance, not all of the current Child Support Agency caseload will choose to use the statutory maintenance service. Since we do not know the precise composition of the resulting caseload, it is not possible to estimate the average level of maintenance liabilities that will arise.
	However, the new formula has been chosen to broadly replicate the current system, although the new rates mean that non-resident parents with two qualifying children at most income levels will pay slightly more as the following table shows:
	
		
			   Two qualifying children 
			  Weekly gross income  2003 rules  Proposed rules 
			 50 5 7 
			 150 17 20 
			 250 41 40 
			 350 55 56 
			 450 68 72 
			 550 82 88 
			 650 96 104 
			 750 110 120 
			 1,000 141 152 
			 3,000 377 392

Children: Maintenance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of child maintenance cases under the new Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission are expected to be calculated using HM Revenue and Customs gross income figures for the previous year; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: Initial estimates are that in steady state around 90 per cent. of cases will have their liability based on HMRC income data or DWP benefits data.

Children: Maintenance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of child maintenance cases which will have  (a) overpayments and  (b) underpayments under the new Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission; how such under and overpayments will be managed; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: No estimates have been made on the number of child maintenance cases that will have overpayments and underpayments under the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission. The management of such payments will be an issue for C-MEC to consider and take steps as necessary.

Children: Maintenance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what provision there will be for those paying maintenance under the new Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission to request in-year reviews of their maintenance liabilities when their income changes; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: Immediate in-year reviews will be allowed when a non-resident parent's income changes by at least 25 per cent.
	Other immediate in-year reviews will still be allowed. These will include:
	The non-resident parent leaves work and goes onto benefitor vice versa.
	A qualifying child dies, or moves abroad, or starts work.
	Maintenance is applied for in respect of a new child from the same non-resident parent.
	An application for a variation is successful.

Children: Maintenance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much of the Child Support Agency's maintenance arrears were collected in each  (a) month and  (b) quarter since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 26 June 2007:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much of the Child Support Agency's maintenance arrears were collected in each (a) month and (b) quarter since 1997; and if he will make a statement.
	The information you asked for is included in the attached tables. Data on the old scheme was only recorded quarterly (until March 2003). Monthly figures are available from March 2003 onwards.
	The Agency now collects more than double the amount of arrears payments each quarter, than in 1997. We will continue to focus on collecting arrears of maintenance during 2007/08, as we aim to increase the total maintenance collected to 970 million, collecting at least 120 million in maintenance arrears.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.
	
		
			  (a) The amount of monthly arrears received by the Agency in each month between March 2003 and March 2007 
			  Monthly  Arrears received ( million) 
			 March 2003 5.5 
			 April 2003 5.1 
			 May 2003 5.3 
			 June 2003 5.3 
			 July 2003 5.6 
			 August 2003 5.0 
			 September 2003 5.4 
			 October 2003 5.7 
			 November 2003 4.9 
			 December 2003 5.2 
			 January 2004 5.6 
			 February 2004 4.9 
			 March 2004 5.8 
			 April 2004 5.3 
			 May 2004 5.1 
			 Jun 2004 6.3 
			 July 2004 5.6 
			 August 2004 5.8 
			 September 2004 5.4 
			 October 2004 5.5 
			 November 2004 6.0 
			 December 2004 5.6 
			 January 2005 5.6 
			 February 2005 5.6 
			 March 2005 6.3 
			 April 2005 5.9 
			 May 2005 6.5 
			 June 2005 7.0 
			 July 2005 7.5 
			 August 2005 6.7 
			 September 2005 6.2 
			 October 2005 6.7 
			 November 2005 7.2 
			 December 2005 6.4 
			 January 2006 6.9 
			 February 2006 6.2 
			 March 2006 7.5 
			 April 2006 6.4 
			 May 2006 7.9 
			 June 2006 7.3 
			 July 2006 7.4 
			 August 2006 7.0 
			 September 2006 6.7 
			 October 2006 8.0 
			 November 2006 7.7 
			 December 2006 7.0 
			 January 2007 7.9 
			 February 2007 8.0 
			 March 2007 9.2 
			  Notes:  1. Arrears are accrued when the non-resident parent does not pay the full amount of regular maintenance due.  2. Monthly management information is not available prior to March 2003.  3. Monetary values are rounded to the nearest 0.1 million.  4. Monthly amounts of maintenance collected (total regular and arrears) will not sum to the financial year figures published in the Annual Accounts, as they do not include end year adjustments. 
		
	
	
		
			  (b) The amount of quarterly arrears received by the Agency in each quarter since May 1997 
			  Quarterly  Arrears received ( million) 
			 May 1997 8.8 
			 August 1997 10.2 
			 November 1997 11.1 
			 February 1998 11.8 
			 May 1998 13.3 
			 August 1998 13.5 
			 November 1998 15.2 
			 February 1999 14.6 
			 May 1999 15.9 
			 August 1999 16.9 
			 November 1999 16.0 
			 February 2000 15.7 
			 May 2000 15.5 
			 August 2000 15.9 
			 November 2000 15.5 
			 February 2001 15.6 
			 May 2001 16.0 
			 August 2001 16.2 
			 November 2001 15.7 
			 February 2002 15.4 
			 May 2002 16.5 
			 August 2002 16.1 
			 November 2002 16.5 
			 February 2003 15.7 
			 June 2003 15.6 
			 September 2003 16.0 
			 December 2003 15.8 
			 March 2004 16.4 
			 June 2004 16.7 
			 September 2004 16.8 
			 December 2004 17.2 
			 March 2005 17.5 
			 June 2005 19.4 
			 September 2005 20.5 
			 December 2005 20.3 
			 March 2006 20.6 
			 June 2006 21.5 
			 September 2006 21.1 
			 December 2006 22.7 
			 March 2007 25.1 
			  Notes:  1. Arrears are accrued when the non-resident parent does not pay the full amount of regular maintenance due.  2. In mid 2003 the month in which this data was collected changed, therefore, there is a change in the quarterly time series between February 2003 and June 2003.  3. Monetary values are rounded to the nearest 0.1 million.  4. Monthly amounts of maintenance collected (total regular and arrears) will not sum to the financial year figures published in the Annual Accounts, as they do not include end year adjustments.

Children: Maintenance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people  (a) were sent to prison and  (b) lost their driving licences for failing to co-operate with the Child Support Agency in each (i) quarter and (ii) year since April 1997.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 25 June 2007:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people (a) were sent to prison and (b) lost their driving licences for failing to co-operate with the Child Support Agency in each (i) quarter and (ii) year since April 1997.
	The power to withdraw driving licences was brought into effect on 2 April 2001 (under the Child Support, Pensions and Social Security Act 2000).
	The attached table relates to information from 2002, as prior to this the Agency did not maintain a robust system for reporting sentences. The Agency's system for reporting includes sentences passed for England, Wales and Scotland. Numbers of committals and driving licence disqualifications are not routinely collected quarterly and are not readily to hand.
	Commitment to prison or disqualification from holding a driving licence is the ultimate sanction available to the courts for recovery of arrears of Child Support maintenance. If the non-resident parent is found guilty of wilful refusal or culpable neglect the court will decide which of the available sanctions is the most appropriate.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.
	
		
			  Table 1: numbers of committals and driving licences 
			   April 2002March 2003  April 2003March 2004  April 2004March 2005  April 2005March 2006  February 2006January 2007 
			 Number of suspended prison sentences passed 36 107 *225 *390 *385 
			 Number of prison sentences passed 4 9 *5 *15 *40 
			 Number of suspended driving licence disqualification sentences passed 7 9 *25 *35 *30 
			 Number of driving licence disqualification sentences passed 1 1 *5 *5 *5 
			  Notes: 1. The figures marked with an asterix are sourced from the Agency's Quarterly Summary Statistics. Prior to April 2004, the figures given were clerically collated and are actual figures, not subject to rounding. 2. Figures sourced from the Agency's Quarterly Summary Statistics are rounded to the nearest five. 3. The figures for 2006-07 are from February 2006 to January 2007 and these are the latest figures published available.

Children: Maintenance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many non-resident parents paid maintenance through the Child Support Agency only by deductions of up to 5 per week from benefits in each quarter since 2000-01.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive.
	He will write to the hon. Member.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 25 June 2007:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many non-resident parents paid maintenance through the Child Support Agency only by deductions of up to 5 per week from benefits in each quarter since 2000-01 and if he will make a statement.
	Such information as is available on the number of cases, which have a deduction from benefit in place from February 2000 to March 2007, is presented in the attached table. Information covering the period of December 2002 to September 04 is not available.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.
	
		
			  Number of cases, with a deduction from benefit in place, from February 2000 to March 2007 
			  Quarter ending  Cases with deduction from benefit as method of maintenance collection 
			 February 2000 23,200 
			 May 2000 22,600 
			 August 2000 21,900 
			 November 2000 21,400 
			 February 2001 18,500 
			 May 2001 17,600 
			 August 2001 17,100 
			 November 2001 16,500 
			 February 2002 15,500 
			 May 2002 15,300 
			 August 2002 14,000 
			 November 2002 13,700 
			 December 2002-September 2004 (3 )n/a 
			 December 2004 49,200 
			 March 2005 54,600 
			 June 2005 63,300 
			 September 2005 71,100 
			 December 2005 79,800 
			 March 2006 90,900 
			 June 2006 98,000 
			 September 2006 103,100 
			 December 2006 106,600 
			 March 2007 113,200 
			  Notes: 1. Numbers are rounded to the nearest hundred. 2. The data in the table covers those old-scheme cases with either a Full Maintenance Assessment or an Interim Maintenance Assessment; plus those new-scheme cases with either a Full Maintenance Calculation, or a Default Maintenance Decision. New-scheme cases being processed clerically are excluded from this analysis. 3. Robust management information covering the period December 2002 to September 2004 is not available.

Children: Maintenance

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to improve the child maintenance and support arrangements for parents with responsibility for care in situations where the non-resident parent is unemployed and is unable to provide full maintenance payments.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 25 June 2007:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to improve the child maintenance and support arrangements for parents with responsibility for care in situations where the non-resident parent is unemployed and is unable to provide full maintenance payments.
	The amount of child support maintenance assessed depends on the income of the non-resident parent and will therefore differ from case to case. The Agency believes parents on benefit have as much of a responsibility for their children's upkeep as those who are working. Child Support Reforms introduced in 2003 required non-resident parents on benefit to pay child support maintenance at a flat rate of 5 per week. The Child Maintenance and Other Payments Bill will, subject to Parliamentary approval, increase the flat-rate amount payable to parents with care, from 5 to 7 per week.
	Parents with care who are also unable to work are of course eligible to claim benefit. Those on Income Support or income based Jobseekers Allowance will benefit from the Child Maintenance Premium which allows parents with care on benefit to keep a higher proportion of child support maintenance, up to 10 each week without it affecting their benefit.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Children: Poverty

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children were in households below  (a) 60 per cent.,  (b) 50 per cent.,  (c) 40 per cent.,  (d) 30 per cent.,  (e) 20 per cent. and  (f) 10 per cent. of median income in each year since 1994-95, broken down by (i) working and non-working households and (ii) household type.

Jim Murphy: holding answer 2 May 2007
	Figures on the 30 per cent. of median income threshold and any lower thresholds are not statistically robust as the sample sizes are too small.
	The available information is in the following tables.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of children living in households below 60 per cent. of median income, by working/not working households, before housing costs 
			  Million 
			   Working households  Non-working households 
			 1994-95 1.3 1.9 
			 1995-96 1.2 1.8 
			 1996-97 1.4 2.0 
			 1997-98 1.6 1.9 
			 1998-99 1.5 1.8 
			 1999-2000 1.5 1.7 
			 2000-01 1.3 1.6 
			 2001-02 1.4 1.6 
			 2002-03 1.4 1.6 
			 2003-04 1.3 1.5 
			 2004-05 1.3 1.4 
			 2005-06 1.4 1.4 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of children living in households below 60 per cent. of median income, by type of household, before housing costs 
			  Million 
			   Lone parent  Couple 
			   In full-time work  In part-time work  Not working  One or more full-time self-employed  Both in full-time work  One or more in full-time work, one in part-time work  One in full-time, one not working  One or more in part-time work only  Both not in work 
			 1994-95 (1) 0.1 1.0 0.5 (1) 0.1 0.4 0.2 0.9 
			 1995-96 (1) 0.1 0.9 0.4 (1) 0.1 0.4 0.2 0.9 
			 1996-97 (1) 0.1 1.1 0.3 (1) 0.1 0.5 0.3 0.8 
			 1997-98 (1) 0.2 1.2 0.4 (1) 0.1 0.5 0.3 0.7 
			 1998-99 (1) 0.2 1.1 0.4 (1) 0.1 0.5 0.3 0.7 
			 1999-2000 0.1 0.2 1.2 0.4 (1) 0.1 0.5 0.3 0.6 
			 2000-01 (1) 0.1 1.1 0.3 (1) 0.1 0.4 0.3 0.5 
			 2001-02 0.1 0.2 1.0 0.3 (1) 0.1 0.4 0.3 0.5 
			 2002-03 0.1 0.2 1.0 0.3 (1) 0.1 0.4 0.3 0.6 
			 2003-04 (1) 0.2 1.0 0.3 (1) 0.1 0.4 0.3 0.5 
			 2004-05 0.1 0.2 0.9 0.4 (1) 0.1 0.3 0.2 0.5 
			 2005-06 (1) 0.2 0.9 0.4 (1) 0.1 0.4 0.3 0.5 
		
	
	
		
			  Table  3 : Number of children  living in households below 5 0 per cent. of median income, by working/not working households, before housing costs 
			  Million 
			   Working households  Non-working households 
			 1994-95 0.6 0.9 
			 1995-96 0.7 0.8 
			 1996-97 0.7 1.0 
			 1997-98 0.8 1.0 
			 1998-99 0.8 0.9 
			 1999-2000 0.8 0.8 
			 2000-01 0.7 0.8 
			 2001-02 0.7 0.7 
			 2002-03 0.7 0.8 
			 2003-04 0.7 0.7 
			 2004-05 0.7 0.7 
			 2005-06 0.7 0.7 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 4: Number of children living in households below 50 per cent. of median income, by type of household, before housing costs 
			  Million 
			   Lone parent  Couple 
			   In full-time work  In part-time work  Not working  One or more full-time self-employed  Both in full-time work  One or more in full-time work, one in part-time work  One in full-time, one not working  One or more in part-time work only  Both not in work 
			 1994-95 (1) (1) 0.3 0.3 (1) (1) 0.1 0.1 0.6 
			 1995-96 (1) (1) 0.3 0.3 (1) (1) 0.1 0.1 0.5 
			 1996-97 (1) 0.1 0.5 0.2 (1) (1) 0.2 0.2 0.6 
			 1997-98 (1) 0.1 0.6 0.3 (1) (1) 0.2 0.2 0.4 
			 1998-99 (1) 0.1 0.5 0.3 (1) 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.4 
			 1999-2000 (1) 0.1 0.5 0.2 (1) (1) 0.2 0.2 0.4 
			 2000-01 (1) 0.1 0.5 0.2 (1) (1) 0.2 0.2 0.4 
			 2001-02 (1) 0.1 0.4 0.2 (1) 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.3 
			 2002-03 (1) 0.1 0.4 0.2 (1) (1) 0.2 0.2 0.4 
			 2003-04 (1) 0.1 0.4 0.2 (1) (1) 0.2 0.2 0.3 
			 2004-05 (1) 0.1 0.4 0.2 (1) (1) 0.1 0.1 0.3 
			 2005-06 (1) 0.1 0.4 0.3 (1) 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.3 
		
	
	
		
			  Table  5 : Number of children  living in households below 4 0 per cent. of median income, by working/not working households, before housing costs 
			  Million 
			   Working households  Non-working households 
			 1994-95 0.3 0.2 
			 1995-96 0.4 0.2 
			 1996-97 0.3 0.3 
			 1997-98 0.4 0.3 
			 1998-99 0.4 0.3 
			 1999-2000 0.4 0.3 
			 2000-01 0.4 0.3 
			 2001-02 0.4 0.3 
			 2002-03 0.4 0.3 
			 2003-04 0.3 0.4 
			 2004-05 0.3 0.3 
			 2005-06 0.3 0.4 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 6: Number of children living in households below 40 per cent. of median income, by type of household, before housing costs 
			  Million 
			   Lone parent  Couple 
			   In full-time work  In part-time work  Not working  One or more full-time self-employed  Both in full-time work  One or more in full-time work, one in part-time work  One in full-time, one not working  One or more in part-time work only  Both not in work 
			 1994-95 (1) (1) 0.1 0.2 (1) (1) (1) (1) 0.2 
			 1995-96 (1) (1) 0.1 0.2 (1) (1) (1) (1) 0.2 
			 1996-97 (1) (1) 0.1 0.2 (1) (1) (1) 0.1 0.2 
			 1997-98 (1) (1) 0.1 0.2 (1) (1) 0.1 0.1 0.2 
			 1998-99 (1) (1) 0.1 0.2 (1) (1) 0.1 0.1 0.2 
			 1999-2000 (1) (1) 0.1 0.2 (1) (1) 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 2000-01 (1) (1) 0.2 0.2 (1) (1) 0.1 0.1 0.2 
			 2001-02 (1) (1) 0.1 0.2 (1) (1) (1) 0.1 0.1 
			 2002-03 (1) 0.1 0.1 0.2 (1) (1) 0.1 0.1 0.2 
			 2003-04 (1) (1) 0.1 0.1 (1) (1) 0.1 0.1 0.2 
			 2004-05 (1) (1) 0.2 0.1 (1) (1) 0.1 0.1 0.2 
			 2005-06 (1) (1) 0.2 0.2 (1) (1) 0.1 0.1 0.2 
			 (1) Fewer than 50,000.  Notes: 1. The information shown in the tables is for Great Britain up to 2001-02 and for the United Kingdom for 2002-03 onwards. 2. The information is based on OECD equivalisation factors and therefore will not be the same as any figures previously published that were based on McClements equivalisation factors.  Source: Family Resources Survey.

Children: Poverty

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the Answer of 6 June 2007,  Official Report, column 520W, on children: poverty, how many and what proportion of householders with less than 60 per cent. of average national income  (a) receive tax credits,  (b) are eligible for tax credits and  (c) do not claim tax credits.

Jim Murphy: Specific information regarding low income for the United Kingdom is available in Households Below Average Income 1994/95-2005/06 (Revised).
	The available information, for parts  (a) and  (c) of the question, is shown in the following table.
	Information is not available to answer question  (b). I refer the right hon. Member to the written answer the Chief Secretary to the Treasury gave to him on 11 June 2007,  Official Report, column 830W.
	
		
			  Table 1:  Number and proportion of households with less than 60 per cent. of median income that report receipt of tax credits: 2005-06 
			   Before h ousing  c osts  After h ousing  c osts 
			  Number of households (million) 0.8 1.2 
			  Proportion of households Percentage) 17 22 
			  Source:  Family Resources Survey 2005-06 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Number and proportion of households with less than 60 per cent. of median income that do not report receipt of tax credits: 2005-06 
			   Before h ousing  c osts  After h ousing  c osts 
			  Number of households (million) 3.9 4.2 
			  Proportion of households Percentage) 83 78 
			  Note:  The figures are based on OECD equivalisation factors, and will not be the same as any figures previously published which were based on McClements equivalisation factors.  Source:  Family Resources Survey 2005-06

Children: Poverty

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of children removed from relative poverty due to payment of child support in each year since 1997.

James Plaskitt: Information relating to the number of children removed from relative poverty due to payment of child support before 2003-04 is only available at disproportionate cost. For the years 2003-04 to 2005-06, estimates are given in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of children removed from poverty due to payment of child support 
			 2003-04 80,000 
			 2004-05 90,000 
			 2005-06 100,000 
			  Notes:  Figures are rounded to the nearest 10,000. Poverty is defined here as living in a household which has less than 60 per cent. of median income on an equivalised basis before housing costs. The poverty threshold is contemporary, so is 60 per cent. of median income in that year. Figures are produced using the McClements equivalisation scale, except for 2006-07 which uses the OECD equivalisation scale. Figures are based on a survey and so are subject to measurement error; changes in the numbers between years cannot be considered statistically significant.   Source:  Department for Work and Pensions policy simulation model based on family resources survey data.

Children: Poverty

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 6 June 2007,  Official Report, column 520W, on children: poverty, if he will break down the figures given by those with  (a) two working parents,  (b) two parents, one of whom is working,  (c) a single parent and  (d) other family type.

Jim Murphy: Estimates of numbers of families with children by family type and economic status who are not in receipt of tax credits and living below 60 per cent. of contemporary median income or below 40 per cent. of contemporary median income are shown.
	The figures are based on OECD equivalisation factors, and will not be the same as any figures previously published which were based on McClements equivalisation factors.
	
		
			  Number of families with children not in receipt of tax credits by family type and work status 2005-06household incomes below 60 per cent. of the contemporary median income 
			  million 
			   Before housing costs  After housing costs 
			 Two working parents 0.1 0.1 
			 Two parents, one of whom is working 0.1 0.1 
			 A single parent 0.3 0.5 
			 Other family type 0.2 0.2 
			 All families with children not in receipt of tax credits 0.7 0.9 
			  Source: Family Resources Survey 2005-06 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of families w ith children not in receipt of tax c redits by family type and work status 2005-06household incomes below 40 per cent. of the contemporary median income 
			  million 
			   Before housing costs  After housing costs 
			 Two working parents 0.0 0.0 
			 Two parents, one of whom is working 0.0 0.1 
			 A single parent 0.1 0.2 
			 Other family type 0.1 0.1 
			 All families with children not in receipt of tax credits 0.2 0.4 
			  Source: Family Resources Survey 2005-06

Children: Poverty

Stephen Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children living in poverty were in  (a) single parent households and  (b) two parent households in each year since 1997.

Jim Murphy: Specific information regarding low income for the United Kingdom is available in Households Below Average Income 1994/95-2005/06 (Revised). The report uses 60 per cent. of median income as the low income threshold. This threshold is the internationally recognised measure of poverty.
	The available information is in the table as follows.
	
		
			  Number of children (million) living in households below 60 per cent. of median income: Before Housing Costs 
			   Single parent households  Two parent households 
			 1996-97 1.3 2.1 
			 1997-98 1.4 2.0 
			 1998-99 1.3 2.0 
			 1999-2000 1.4 1.8 
			 2000-01 1.3 1.7 
			 2001-02 1.3 1.7 
			 2002-03 1.3 1.7 
			 2003-04 1.2 1.7 
			 2004-05 1.2 1.6 
			 2005-06 1.1 1.7 
			  Notes: 1. The disaggregated information shown is for Great Britain up to 2001-02 and for the United Kingdom for 2002-03 onwards. 2. The figures are based on OECD equalisation factors and will therefore not be the same as any figures previously published that were based on McClements equivalisation factors.  Source:  Family Resources Survey

Damages: Vaccination

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what value of vaccine damage payments was paid out in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  how many individuals have received vaccine damage payments in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available;
	(3)  how many applicants there were for vaccine damage payments in each of the last 10 years.

Anne McGuire: The information requested is in the following tables.
	
		
			   Number of applicants  Number of vaccine damage payments  Value of VDPs () 
			 1997-98 202 3 90,000 
			 1998-99 135 0 0 
			 1999-2000 90 4 110,000 
			 2000-01 202 2 50,000 
			 2001-02 146 3 230,000 
			 2002-03 417 5 500,000 
			 2003-04 165 5 410,000 
			 2004-05 111 4 400,000 
			 2005-06 106 5 500,000 
			 2006-07 60 4 310,000 
			 Total 1634 35 2,600,000 
			  Source: Vaccine Damage Payments Unit database 
		
	
	Since 1 September 2000, 898 top up payments have been made. A breakdown of amounts is not available as dates of payment were not collated in statistics.
	
		
			  Amount  Number of payments  Total paid () 
			 58,000 2 116,000 
			 61,500 26 1,599,000 
			 64,500 28 1,806,000 
			 68,000 842 57,256,000 
			 Total 898 60,777,000

Damages: Vaccination

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost of administering vaccine damage payments was to  (a) his Department and  (b) the public purse in the last financial year for which figures are available.

Anne McGuire: The administration of vaccine damage payments is a matter for the chief executive of the Disability and Carers Service, Mr. Terry Moran. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Terry Moran, dated 25 June 2007:
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost of administering vaccine damage payments was to (a) his Department and (b) the public purse in the last financial year for which figures are available.
	The Minister for Disabled People, Anne McGuire MP, promised you a reply from the Chief Executive of the Disability and Carers Service.
	Vaccine Damage Payments are administered exclusively by the Department for Work and Pensions. In answer to your question, the total cost to the Department, and therefore the public purse, for administering Vaccine Damage Payments for the financial year ending 31 March 2007 was 73,549.63.
	I hope this is helpful.

Departments: Advertising

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent by his Department on advertising in the last 12 months.

Anne McGuire: The Department runs a number of promotional campaigns aimed at increasing awareness of rights and responsibilities. The following table details spend on advertising campaigns run by the Department in the 2006-07 financial year.
	Government policies and programmes affect the lives of millions of people and in order for them to work they must be communicated effectively. But that also has to be done with cost efficiency in mind and there are strict rules to ensure value for money on Government advertising.
	
		
			  Departmental advertising costs 2006-07  000 
			 Age Partnership Group 9 
			 Age Positive 40 
			 Targeting benefit fraud 5,418 
			 Reducing customer error 45 
			 The Pension Service core benefit take up 881 
			 Winter fuel payments 343 
			 Child maintenance enforcement 107 
			 Jobcentre Plus promotion to Black and Minority Ethnic audience 687 
			 Job Done 765 
			 Jobseeker's Allowance 50+ Pilot 83 
			 Lone parent 171

Departments: Aviation

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many flights to overseas destinations were taken by  (a) civil servants and  (b) Ministers in his Department in each of the last three calendar years; and what the total cost of such flights was.

Anne McGuire: This information can be provided only at disproportionate cost. Since 1999, the Government have published, on an annual basis, a list of all overseas visits by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of 500, as well as the cost of all ministerial travel overseas. Copies of the lists are available in the Libraries of the House. Information for 2006-07 is currently being compiled and will be published before the summer recess.
	All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Civil Service Management Code, the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers.

Departments: Booktrust Charity

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much funding his Department has provided to the Booktrust charity in each year since 2001.

Anne McGuire: holding answer 14 June 2007
	DWP supports Bookstart via the Sure Start programme. Sure Start is a joint initiative with DfES, although the funding for the programme is held within the DfES Delegated Expenditure Limit.
	For details of the amount of funding, I refer the hon. Member to the written answer given by my right hon. Friend, the Minister of State for Children, Young People and Families on 18 June 2007,  Official Report, columns 1464W.

Departments: Credit Cards

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent by staff in his Department via departmental  (a) credit,  (b) procurement and  (c) fuel cards in each of the last three years.

Anne McGuire: The total spent by staff in the Department is in the following tables.
	 (a) Credit cards. Information prior to December has been archived and can be obtained only by incurring disproportionate costs.
	
		
			
			 2005-06 (December to March only) 14,858 
			 2006-07 57,431 
		
	
	 (b) Procurement CardsThe Government Procurement Card is now DWP's preferred method of payment to support greater efficiency in low value purchasing
	
		
			
			 2004-05 15,906,425 
			 2005-06 16,852,044 
			 2006-07 17,426,530 
		
	
	 (c) Fuel cardsA chargecard for the purchase of fuel is provided for official vehicles only.
	
		
			
			 2004-05 645,341 
			 2005-06 634,491 
			 2006-07 477,446

Departments: Energy

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many energy saving lightbulbs were purchased by his Department for use on the departmental estate in  (a) 2005 and  (b) 2006.

Anne McGuire: Light bulbs are supplied to the Department by our Estates Partners, Land Securities Trillium under the terms of our PFI contract for serviced accommodation. As information is not collected or retained centrally on the volume of light bulbs purchased for the Department's 1,221 sites it is not possible to provide this information. It is, however, departmental policy that energy saving light bulbs are used wherever practicable.

Departments: Foreign Relations

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Memoranda of Understanding are in force as a result of agreements with foreign Governments entered into by Ministers in his Department; and what Executive actions each entails.

James Plaskitt: Ministers have signed a number of bilateral co-operation agreements, including some formal Memoranda of Understanding, with countries including China, France, Ireland and the Netherlands. Most of these aim to facilitate exchanges of information and experience on employment and labour market policies or combating welfare fraud.

Departments: Manpower

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many people granted  (a) temporary part-time,  (b) temporary full-time,  (c) permanent part-time and  (d) permanent full-time contracts of employment in his Department in each of the last three years were (i) male, (ii) female, (iii) registered disabled and (iv) aged 55 years or over;
	(2)  what percentage of staff in his Department are  (a) male,  (b) female,  (c) registered disabled and  (d) aged 55 or over.

Anne McGuire: The information requested in both questions is in the following tables:
	
		
			  As at 31  M arch each year 
			   2005  2006  2007 
			  Temporary part-time
			 Male 208 134 80 
			 Female 632 425 237 
			 Registered Disabled 3 0 23 
			 Age 55 and over 80 47 35 
			 
			  Temporary full-time
			 Male 1,901 1,365 890 
			 Female 2,213 1,510 1,063 
			 Registered Disabled 18 18 170 
			 Age 55 and over 265 200 128 
			 
			  Permanent part-time
			 Male 3,113 3,379 3,464 
			 Female 37,251 37,562 36,979 
			 Registered Disabled 2,054 2,015 2,122 
			 Age 55 and over 4,175 4,598 4,944 
			 
			  Permanent  f ull- t ime
			 Male 36,501 34,899 33,269 
			 Female 51,652 47,875 44,505 
			 Registered Disabled 4,752 4,407 4,564 
			 Age 55 and over 11,368 11,533 11,272 
			  Notes: 1. Figures in the above table are shown in headcount terms and are based on the Office for National Statistics definition. 2. Figures for 'Registered Disabled' reflect the numbers of staff who have declared a disability. 
		
	
	
		
			   Percentage of staff as at 31 March 2007 
			 Male 31 
			 Female 69 
			 Registered Disabled 6 
			 Age 55 and over 14 
			  Notes: 1. Figures in the above table are based on the Office for National Statistics definition. 2. Figures for 'Registered Disabled' reflect the numbers of staff who have declared a disability.

Departments: Marketing

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which advertising and marketing campaigns were run by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies in each of the last five years; which external agencies were involved; and what the cost was of each campaign.

Anne McGuire: The Department runs a number of promotional campaigns aimed at increasing awareness of rights and responsibilities. The following table details spend on advertising and marketing campaigns run by the Department in each of the last five complete financial years.
	Government policies and programmes affect the lives of millions of people and in order for them to work they must be communicated effectively. But that also has to be done with cost efficiency in mind and there are strict rules to ensure value for money on Government advertising and communications.
	
		
			  Marketing and advertising campaigns  Total marketing and advertising spend (000)  Agencies 
			  2006-07   
			 Age Partnership Group 1,370 Dulay Seymour, Geronimo Communications, Evolution Print, HDC, HFW plastics, Intelligent Data services, TRG 
			 Age Positive 642 Adams Exhibitions, Evolution Print, Geronimo Communications, TRG, Dulay Seymour, Brandam, Getyourselfnoticed 
			 Targeting Benefit Thieves 6,568 Cheetham Bell JWT, MindShare, The Red Consultancy, GfK 
			 Something to Declare 234 VCCP, MindShare, The Red Consultancy, Define 
			 The Pension Service Core Benefit Take Up 2,040 EHS Brann Advertising 
			 Winter Fuel Payments 469 PHD 
			 Child Maintenance Enforcement 117 Chick Smith Trott, PHD, Mediacom, Fishburn Hedges 
			 Jobcentre Plus Promotion to Black and Minority Ethnic Audience 727 Media Reach 
			 Jobseeker's Allowance 50+ Pilot 198 Personal 
			 Lone Parent 868 Craik Jones 
			 Images of Disability 93 Workshop, COI, DAD 
			 Job Search Channels Campaign (Job Done) 1,100 Personal 
			 Disability Discrimination Act 203 Trimedia, Rapier, Email Vision, Brahm, Solutions Research, Ipsos, Mori 
			
			  2005-06   
			 State Pension Deferral 876 DLKW, PHD 
			 Images of Disability 158 Workshop, Good The Agency, DAD, BCIDN 
			 Targeting Benefit Fraud 7,459 Leo Burnett, MediaVest 
			 Pension Credit 910 Draft Worldwide, Delaney Lund Knox Warren, Cragg Ross Dawson and IFF 
			 Winter Fuel Payments 1,420 PHD 
			 State Second Pension 675 DLKW, PHD 
			 Age Partnership Group 2,475 Dulay Seymour, Geronimo Communications, Slater Print Group, HDC, HFW plastics, Denlypraill, iSky, TNS 
			 Age Positive 750 Adams Exhibitions, Slater Print Group, Geronimo Communications, iSky, Dulay Seymour, Brandam 
			 National Sector Campaign 120 Kitcatt Nohr Alexander Shaw 
			 Council Tax Benefit 743 COI, WRIS, WCRS 
			 Images of Disability 157 Iris, Workshop, COI, Good The Agency, DAD 
			 Disability Discrimination Act 1,353 Rapier, Manning Gottlieb, Profero, Pollination, Citigate 
			
			  2004-05   
			 Age Positive 615 Adams Exhibitions, Slater Print Group, Geronimo Communications, Dulay Seymour, Brandam, Prolog, Denlypraill 
			 State Pension Deferral 115 DLKW, PHD 
			 Disability Discrimination Act 1,856 Heresy, The Forster Company, IPSOS UK 
			 Targeting Benefit Fraud 6,590 Leo Burnett, MediaVest 
			 Direct Payment 11,662 MCBD 
			 Council Tax Benefit 771 WIS, WCRS 
			 Pension Credit 5,580 Draft Worldwide, Delaney Lund Knox Warren, Cragg Ross Dawson 
			 Winter Fuel Payments 940 PHD, WTCS 
			 Lone Parent Leaflet Promotion Marketing 216 Bell Design 
			 National Vacancy Campaign 390 Kitcatt Nohr Alexander Shaw 
			 IB Reforms Pilots 154 MM Design 
			 Images of Disability 119 Churchill and Friend, Iris, Good The Agency, Print Design Factory, DAD 
			
			  2003-04   
			 Age Positive 1,247 Geronimo, Slater Print Group, Adams Exhibitions, Dulay Seymour, New Vision Imaging 
			 Second State Pension 216 DLKW, PHD 
			 Pension Service Awareness 906 Barkers 
			 New Deal 5,678 RKCR, PHD 
			 Disability Discrimination Act 141 Market Research Services, Heresy, The Forster Company 
			 Targeting Benefit Fraud 9,362 D'Arcy, MediaVest 
			 Direct Payment 10,905 MCBD, Zenith 
			 Council Tax Benefit 673 WIS, WCRS 
			 Pension Credit 12,199 Draft Worldwide, Delaney Lund Knox Warren, Cragg Ross Dawson 
			 Winter Fuel Payments 996 PHD, WTCS 
			 Jobseekers Direct 1,632 Kitcatt Nohr Alexander Shaw 
			 IB Reforms Pilot 187 MM Design 
			 Jobcentre Plus Customer Marketing 1,401 Publicis 
			 National Employer Campaign 1,158 Brahm 
			 Images of Disability 31 COI, DAD 
			
			  2002-03   
			 Age Positive 559 Geronimo Communications, Warrens, Iris, Dulay Seymour 
			 Future Pensioners/Informed Choice 2,878 DLKW, PHD 
			 Second State Pension 489 DLKW, PHD 
			 New Deal For Musicians 33 Barkers 
			 Disability Discrimination Act 246 Tiffany St. James, Jacaranda, Brodie Publishing, EMR, Markettiers, COI 
			 Targeting Benefit Fraud 769 Unity 
			 Direct Payment 2,145 MCBD 
			 Winter Fuel Payments 484 PHD, Ogilvy 
			 Inherited Serps 646 MMHL, PHD 
			 Images of Disability 13 COI 
			  Note: The figures provided in the table include costs relating to the delivery of advertising and marketing campaigns including for example production, media, distribution and agency costs.

Departments: Northern Ireland

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library a copy of the concordat governing the relationship between his Department and the Northern Ireland Administration.

Anne McGuire: My Department has concordats with the Northern Ireland Executive in place and I have arranged for copies to be placed in the Library of the House.

Departments: Official Cars

Si�n Simon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what make and model of car  (a) he and  (b) each Minister in his Department selected as their official ministerial car; and what criteria were used when making the decision in each case.

Anne McGuire: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 14 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1269W.

Departments: Older Workers

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of staff in his Department were over 60 years of age in each of the last three years.

Anne McGuire: The percentage of staff who were over 60 years of age in each of the last three years in the Department for Work and Pensions is in the following table.
	
		
			   Percentage of staff over 60 years 
			 31 March 2005 2.8 
			 31 March 2006 3.2 
			 31 March 2007 3.8 
			  Note:  Percentages are a point in time at each of the specified dates.

Departments: Older Workers

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people aged  (a) over 55 years of age and  (b) over 60 years of age have been recruited by his Department in each of the last three years; and what percentage in each case this is of the number of new recruits in each year.

Anne McGuire: The number of people recruited by the Department for Work and Pensions who were aged over 55 years and over 60 years in each of the last three years is in the following table, which also includes the percentage of the total recruits in each year.
	
		
			   Number of recruits over 55 years  Percentage of total recruits  Number of recruits over 60 years  Percentage of total recruits 
			 2004-05 301 6.3 57 1.2 
			 2005-06 408 6.1 73 1.1 
			 2006-07 390 6.8 78 1.4 
			  Note:  Figures are headcount not full-time equivalent.

Departments: Public Participation

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many public consultations his Department undertook in the last 12 months; and what the cost was of each consultation.

Anne McGuire: Over the 12 months to the end of May 2007, the Department for Work and Pensions launched 18 formal consultation exercises, of which seven were full public consultations, in order to inform the Department's policy development. Information on the cost of each consultation, and the total cost of all consultations, could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Remploy

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what  (a) services and  (b) products his Department has procured from Remploy in the last 12 months; and at what cost.

Anne McGuire: In the last 12 months, the Department for Work and Pensions has directly procured printing services from Remploy and also New Deal for Disabled People job broking services at a total cost of 3,002,559.
	Through third party main contractors, Remploy also provides the Department with secure disposal and recycling of IT equipment; distribution and order fulfilment of printed matter; contact centre staff for print and leaflet ordering and recruitment services for catering and cleaning staff.

Departments: Sick Leave

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what average number of days per year was taken by staff in his Department as sick leave in each of the last five years for which records are available.

Anne McGuire: The available information is in the following table.
	Official figures on the level of sickness absence in the Civil Service are reported by the Cabinet Office annually in a report titled 'Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service'. The last report is for the year 2005. Data for 2006 are being compiled currently and the report will be published later this year.
	
		
			  Average working days absence per staff-year 
			   Number 
			 2001 11.1 
			 2002 10.8 
			 2003 11.6 
			 2004 9.6 
			 2005 10.1

Departments: Sick Leave

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many sick days were taken by staff of his Department and its executive agencies in the latest period for which figures are available; and what the average number of sick days taken by staff members was.

Anne McGuire: The available information is in the table. Official figures on the level of sickness absence in the Civil Service are reported by the Cabinet Office annually in a report titled 'Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service'. The latest report is for the year 2005. Data for 2006 are being compiled currently and will be published later this year.
	
		
			  Business  Sickness days in 2005  Average days per staff year 
			 Jobcentre Plus 794,024  
			 Pension Service 132,179  
			 Child Support Agency 120,066  
			 Corporate Centre 125,413  
			 Disability and Carers Service 61,480  
			 DWP Overall 1,233,162  
			 Average working days lost (per staff year)  10.1

Departments: Sick Leave

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of sick leave taken by staff in his Department was stress-related in each of the last three years.

Anne McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions does not have a category for recording stress- related sick leave. Sick leave related to a range of metal health conditions is recorded. This includes stress-related absences, but also other mental health problems such as schizophrenia and depression.
	
		
			  Percentage of employees who were absent in the years 2005 to 2007 due to anxiety, depression and other mental health issues 
			  Year ending  Percentage absent 
			 1 April 2004 to 31 March 2005 22 
			 1 April 2005 to 31 March 2006 17 
			 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007 22

Departments: Surveys

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff surveys his Department undertook in the last 12 months; and at what total cost.

Anne McGuire: Two DWP-wide staff surveys have been conducted in the last 12 months: a survey of all staff in November 2006 and a sampled survey in May 2007. Smaller Pulse surveys of 1,000 people are carried out monthly between the main surveys. Overall cost is 150,000 project cost and 130,000 annual staff salary cost. This represents a unit cost of approximately 2.25 per DWP staff member per annum.

Disability Living Allowance

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 4 June 2007,  Official Report, column 26W, on disability living allowance, in what format the information referred to is recorded.

Anne McGuire: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave him on 19 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1739W.

Disability Living Allowance: Children

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will extend the mobility component of the disability living allowance to parents of children below the age of three years; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: holding answer 15 June 2007
	 In April 2001 as a result of medical evidence, we reduced the age limit for entitlement from five to three years as the earliest point at which it can be reasonably determined whether a child's inability, or virtual inability, to walk is the result of physical disability.
	Therefore we have no current plans to make further changes to the lower age limit for entitlement to the higher rate of the disability living allowance mobility component.

Employment: Disabled

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the ability of the new personal capability assessment contained within the Welform Reform Bill  (a) to assess accurately patients with long-term, fluctuating conditions and  (b) to ensure that such patients receive the support necessary to get back into employment; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: The review of the Personal Capability Assessment (PCA) will ensure that it continues to be a fair, robust and accurate assessment of limited capability for work which takes account of all conditions, including those that are long-term and the fluctuate. Testing and development of the PCA is still progressing, and a report by the technical working group undertaking this work is expected to be published in the summer. Currently, the health care professionals who undertake the PCA are trained to consider the position of customers with any condition, including long-term fluctuating conditions, and this approach will be carried forward into the revised PCA when it is introduced for the purposes of employment and support allowance in 2008.
	The revised PCA will bring structured help to support and encourage a return to work by exploring a person's ability to engage with back to work support provided by the Pathways to Work programme and the various health or workplace interventions.

Employment: Qualifications

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance he provides to employers on procedures for checking the authenticity of qualifications claimed by job applicants.

Jim Murphy: The Department does not provide guidance to employers on checking qualifications of job applicants. Information on checking references and qualifications of job applicants is available from the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS).

Financial Assistance Scheme

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much of the additional 6 billion to be paid into the Financial Assistance Scheme he estimates will be spent annually over the next five years.

James Purnell: holding answer 27 March 2007
	 The following table sets out the estimates of the additional and total cost of providing FAS at the level announced by the Chancellor on 21 March 2007. The total figure does not take into account 2007-08.
	
		
			  Annual cash costs to 2012-13 
			   million 
			   Current FAS allocation  Additional cost of Budget extension  Total cost of the Budget extension 
			 2008-09 29 11 40 
			 2009-10 39 14 53 
			 2010-11 45 14 60 
			 2011-12 49 15 64 
			 2012-13 51 17 68 
			 Total(1) 212 72 284 
			 (1) Figures may not sum to the total because of rounding.  Note: Annual cost figures are rounded to the nearest 1 million.

Financial Assistance Scheme

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent on  (a) administration and  (b) legal fees for the Financial Assistance Scheme in each month since its inception; and if he will make a statement.

James Purnell: The Financial Assistance Scheme was announced in May 2004. Information on monthly expenditure is not available in comparative terms covering the period 2004-05 and 2005-06. However, total expenditure on administration in 2004-05 was 1.06 million, in 2005-06 4.73 million and in 2006-07 3.988 million. One-off legal fees of 2,089 arose in March 2005.
	Figures for 2006-07 are in the following table. In addition to administration costs these also include IT design and implementation costs and ongoing IT running costs.
	
		
			  Financial year 2006-07  Monthly expenditure () 
			  2006 
			 April 144,542 
			 May 198,464 
			 June 159,827 
			 July 617,991 
			 August 170,832 
			 September 169,283 
			 October 278,945 
			 November 426,418 
			 December 587,300 
			  2007  
			 January 229,627 
			 February 232,785 
			 March 771,628 
			 Total April 2006 to March 2007 (Actual) 3,987,642 
			 Overall total to March 2006-07 3,987,642 
		
	
	Figures for 2007-08 are in the following table.
	
		
			  Financial year 2007-08  Expenditure () 
			 April 2007 126,436

Full Employment Agency: Scotland

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the proposed Full Employment Agency in Scotland.

Jim Murphy: We have set ourselves a long-term aim of achieving a UK employment rate equivalent to 80 per cent. of the working age population. Good progress has been made in Scotland, which currently has an employment rate of 76.5 per cent.; above the UK average of 74.3 per cent. The Department will continue to work closely with all agencies in Scotland to extend employment opportunity even more widely.
	There are no current plans for a Full Employment Agency in Scotland.

Health and Safety Executive: Freedom of Information

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Freedom of Information requests were submitted to the Health and Safety Executive in the last 12 months; how many were refused; and on what basis each was refused.

Anne McGuire: The following information has been retrieved from statistics HSE has provided to the Ministry of Justice (previously known as Department of Constitutional Affairs) which have been published in the 'Second Annual Report on the operation of the FOI Act in Central Government 2006'. This can be found at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/freedomofinformationquarterly.htm
	
		
			   Number 
			 Total requests received for 2006 5,711 
			 Information not held 1,004 
			 Further information required in order to provide a response (advice and assistance) 69 
			 Granted in full 2,414 
			 Partially withheld 940 
			 Response not yet provided 157 
		
	
	HSE is unable to provide a breakdown as to the why individual requests were refused, because it does not collate this information.

Homelessness

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects his Department to complete the evaluation of the Working Futures scheme.

Jim Murphy: The Working Future project is led by the Greater London Authority (GLA) and East Thames (a large registered social landlord). Although the Department for Work and Pensions is supporting the project, the GLA is responsible for its evaluation.

Incapacity Benefit: Appeals

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average length taken for an incapacity benefit claimant losing benefit to have his or her appeal heard was in  (a) 1997 and  (b) the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement on his Department's plans to shorten the period between loss of benefit and an appeal hearing taking place.

Anne McGuire: The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Incapacity benefit appeals: average clearance time from lodged to cleared at hearing 
			   Average clearance time (weeks) 
			 1997-98(1) 23.1 
			 2005-06 20.3 
			 (1) Figures are not available prior to September 1997  Notes: 1. All figures are subject to change as more up to date data become available. 2. Figures for the latest months may increase substantially as information feeds through to the Appeals Service.  Source: 100 per cent. download of the Generic Appeals Processing System 
		
	
	The Department is continually working to improve the speed of the whole claims process, including reconsiderations and appeals. The appeals process involves a number of stages, from the lodging of the appeal, through reconsideration of the decision, to referral of the appeal submission to the Tribunals Service. The Tribunals Service is part of the Ministry of Justice. In Jobcentre Plus, the target time, from the lodging of an appeal to referral of a submission to the Tribunals Service, is 50 days. In 2006, this process took an average of 37 days.

Industrial Accidents

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of workplace deaths resulted in  (a) prosecution and  (b) conviction in each of the last five years.

Anne McGuire: HSE does not hold this information in a manner allowing the question to be answered in detail without incurring disproportionate cost. Work is in hand to allow regular reporting of this information from 2007-08 onwards.

Industrial Accidents: Construction

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of workplace deaths in the construction industry resulted in  (a) prosecution and  (b) conviction in each of the last five years.

Anne McGuire: HSE does not hold this information in a manner allowing the question to be answered without incurring disproportionate cost. Work is in hand to allow regular reporting of this information from 2007-08 onwards.
	In response to a recent exercise to respond to an FOI request HSE prepared figures for the years 2000-01 to 2002-03 inclusive. There are still some prosecutions ongoing from these years, and we cannot give figures for 2003-04 onwards because of significant numbers of outstanding prosecutions.
	The as yet unvalidated data that are available are:
	
		
			   2000-01  2001-02  2002-03 
			 Fatal accidents 113 85 75 
			 Successful prosecution (to date) 46 36 28 
			 Successful prosecution (percentage) 41 42 37

Industrial Accidents: Foreigners

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of workplace deaths of non-British nationals resulted in  (a) prosecution and  (b) conviction in each of the last five years.

Anne McGuire: Workplace deaths are reportable to HSE under RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2005). RIDDOR does not require employers to provide information on the nationality of an injured person. Therefore this information could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.

Industrial Health and Safety: Custodial Treatment

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many employer representatives were given custodial sentences for offences relating to their failure to comply with health and safety law in each of the last five years.

Anne McGuire: HSE's prosecution data is not recorded in a way that enables the answer to be provided in the format requested without incurring disproportionate cost. However, the limited analysis undertaken by HSE indicates that, between 1994 and 2004, 111 company directors were prosecuted, with 86 convicted under Health and Safety at Work legislation. 11 were given custodial sentences.

Industrial Health and Safety: Fines

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what average fine was imposed on employers for breaches of health and safety regulations in the last period for which figures are available.

Anne McGuire: The average fine imposed for breaches of health and safety legislation during 2005-06 was 29,997.

Industrial Health and Safety: Foreigners

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what measures are being taken to ensure health and safety policy in the workplace is effectively communicated to non-English speakers.

Anne McGuire: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published guidance and press articles for employers on how to meet legal requirements for communicating clearly to non-English speaking workers information about risks at work, and the measures needed to avoid them. It has also set out clearly what workers should expect from employers on this, in a leaflet (produced jointly with the TUC) currently available in 24 languages, together with other leaflets on specific topics. HSE visiting staff have clear instructions on the need to address this issue at site visits.

Industrial Health and Safety: Foreigners

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had with  (a) the Health and Safety Executive and  (b) trade unions on health and safety concerns related to the employment of non-English speaking nationals in the building and construction industry.

Anne McGuire: My colleague Lord McKenzie of Luton, Minister with responsibility for health and safety, meets regularly with the Chair of the Health and Safety Commission and with the Health and Safety Executive's Chief Executive and Chief Inspector of Construction. His discussions encompass not only general health and safety issues, but those covering issues specific to constructionincluding vulnerable groups such as migrant workers.

Industrial Health and Safety: Hearing Impaired

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what provisions have been made in the workplace to allow for deaf employees to carry out their work efficiently in the last five years.

Anne McGuire: In the last five years, the Government have significantly improved the protection afforded to disabled people, including people with hearing impairments, under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA). For example, from 1 October 2004, we extended the employment provision of the Act to cover all employers and all previously excluded occupations with the exception of service in the armed forces.
	The DDA requires employers to make reasonable adjustments for disabled employees or job applicants where the disabled person would otherwise be at a substantial disadvantage compared with a non-disabled person. For a deaf person, this may include installing induction loops or visual warning displays in place of, or in addition to, audible warnings.
	Provision of assistance for people with a hearing impairment is available through Access to Work. As well as giving advice and information to disabled people and employers, grants are available towards the approved costs that arise because of an individual's impairment. For example, Access to Work can help pay for communication support for people who are deaf or have a hearing impairment. Funding for Access to Work has increased from 51 million in 2002-03 to 64 million in 2007-08.
	Updated and strengthened guidance on the provision of support workers, including communication support for deaf and hard of hearing people, was issued to all Access to Work Business Centres in December 2006. The guidance describes the types of support that may be suitable, for example sign language interpreters, lip speakers and palantypists, as well as the steps to take to establish the type and level of appropriate support.

Jobcentre Plus: Chard

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many  (a) people on incapacity benefit and  (b) lone parents were assisted back into employment by the job centre in Chard in each of the last five years; what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of that job centre, and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what awards have been made to the Job Centre in Chard by his Department over the last two years; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  how many customers have used the job centres in  (a) Chard,  (b) Bridport and  (c) Frome in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Mel Groves , dated 25 June 2007:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions about Chard Jobcentre. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to Lesley Strathie as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus. I am replying on her behalf as Acting Chief Executive.
	Information on the number of people on Incapacity Benefit and the number of Lone Parents who were assisted back into employment by Chard Jobcentre is only available from 2004. The available information is in the table below.
	
		
			  Incapacity benefit and lone parents placed into employment at Chard jobcentre April 2004March 2006 
			   2004-05  2005-06 
			 Incapacity benefit customers 80 73 
			 Lone parents 61 49 
			  Source: Business Information System 
		
	
	Chard Jobcentre has received two Jobcentre Plus awards. The office received a South West Performance Award for the period October to December 2006. It also received a South West Regional Customer Service Award in 2007.
	We do not routinely collect data on the number of customers who use our Jobcentres and, therefore, do not have actual customer numbers for Chard, Bridport and Frome Jobcentres over the last 12 months. We are analysing the number of customers using Chard Jobcentre as part of the office network review. This monitoring commenced on 21 May 2007 and is being undertaken over a six week period. Frome and Bridport Jobcentres do not form part of this review.
	I hope this is helpful.

Jobcentre: Christchurch

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his recent correspondence with the hon. Member for Christchurch, in what ways the report to him from Jobcentre Plus suggested that the closure of the Christchurch Jobcentre Plus office would enable his Department to provide a better service to the residents of Christchurch than it had previously been able to provide; and what assessment he made of the conclusions of that report before making his decision to go out to consultation on the closure of that office.

Jim Murphy: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Mel Groves, dated 25 June 2007:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about the proposed closure of Christchurch Jobcentre. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to Leslie Strathie as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus. I am replying on her behalf as Acting Chief Executive.
	As our Minister of State, Jim Murphy, outlined in his letter of 15 May, this is part of the work being undertaken to review the services we provide to our wide range of customers through our network of Jobcentre Plus offices. Advances in technology and increased availability of Contact Centre facilities mean that increasing numbers of customers access our services by using the telephone or via the internet. At the same time, given the continuing pressure on our resources, it is critical that we make the most effective and equitable use of them.
	The proposal for the closure of the Christchurch site reflects the low level of customers in the catchment area and the major investment of public money in the development of a new Bournemouth Jobcentre Plus office, which is located five miles away. No final decision will be made on the closure until after the six-week consultation exercise is concluded on 2 July 2007.
	I hope this is helpful in clarifying the current position.

Jobcentres: Lancashire

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many job vacancies were available through job centres in West Lancashire in the financial year ending  (a) March 1997 and  (b) March 2007.

Jim Murphy: The available information is in the following table:
	
		
			  Vacancies notified to Jobcentre Plus in the West Lancashire parliamentary constituency 
			  Financial year  Number of vacancies 
			 2006-07 8,690 
			  Notes: 1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Information is only available at constituency level from April 2004. 3. Figures are not fully comparable over time and may not indicate developments in the labour market.  Source: DWP Information Directorate Jobcentre Plus Labour Market System.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claimants of jobseeker's allowance had their claims terminated on the grounds of failing to actively seek work in each of the last 10 years.

Jim Murphy: Jobseeker's allowance claims are not terminated on the grounds of failing to actively seek work although jobseeker's allowance is not paid for any period when a jobseeker has failed to actively seek work.
	In order to check that jobseekers are actively seeking work, they are asked to provide evidence at their fortnightly intervention of the steps that they have taken. Each fortnight is looked at separately.
	When there is any doubt, the jobseeker's evidence is referred to a decision maker. If the decision maker determines that the jobseeker has failed to actively seek work, their jobseeker's allowance award will stop for the period in doubt. That is, the jobseeker will not be paid for that fortnight. However the claim is not terminated. Jobcentre Plus staff work with the jobseeker to ensure they are clear about what steps are required and will check those steps have been taken at the next fortnightly intervention; if so, their jobseeker's allowance will be paid. If following the sanction the jobseeker fails to attend, and after a further five days has failed to make contact, their claim will be closed, because they failed to sign.
	The available information on the number of sanctions applied to jobseeker's allowance claimants is in the following table.
	
		
			  Jobseeker's allowance sanctions in Great Britain each month, April 2000 to January 2007 
			  Thousand 
			   Number of referrals made for fixed length sanctions  Number of referrals made for variable length sanctions 
			   Total  Number of referrals which resulted in a sanction  Total  Number of referrals which resulted in a sanction 
			 April 2000 5.36 2.69 35.33 8.33 
			 May 2000 5.76 2.96 40.02 9.76 
			 June 2000 5.53 2.82 40.98 9.56 
			 July 2000 5.18 2.60 39.62 9.35 
			 August 2000 5.90 2.96 43.93 10.16 
			 September 2000 5.57 2.61 40.17 9.09 
			 October 2000 5.97 2.85 43.02 9.48 
			 November 2000 6.39 3.01 44.59 9.91 
			 December 2000 5.09 2.50 31.70 7.84 
			 January 2001 5.86 2.89 43.91 10.44 
			 February 2001 6.19 2.94 42.13 10.04 
			 March 2001 6.83 3.26 44.26 10.65 
			 April 2001 5.44 2.64 34.88 8.88 
			 May 2001 5.62 2.72 38.02 9.61 
			 June 2001 5.94 2.80 39.01 9.57 
			 July 2001 5.94 2.82 40.25 9.80 
			 August 2001 5.91 2.76 43.05 10.62 
			 September 2001 4.97 2.27 34.89 8.31 
			 October 2001 6.11 2.72 38.90 9.68 
			 November 2001 6.08 2.80 39.54 10.24 
			 December 2001 4.70 2.19 27.42 7.41 
			 January 2002 4.92 2.31 37.27 9.38 
			 February 2002 5.63 2.54 38.06 9.44 
			 March 2002 6.04 2.77 38.09 9.75 
			 April 2002 5.94 2.75 36.52 9.31 
			 May 2002 6.50 3.01 39.87 10.64 
			 June 2002 5.20 2.42 31.65 8.37 
			 July 2002 7.14 3.30 42.50 11.24 
			 August 2002 6.14 2.91 40.43 10.47 
			 September 2002 5.76 2.59 40.16 10.26 
			 October 2002 6.13 2.95 41.69 10.92 
			 November 2002 5.66 2.71 39.35 10.11 
			 December 2002 4.72 2.32 30.66 8.38 
			 January 2003 5.26 2.63 39.44 10.31 
			 February 2003 5.56 2.71 36.82 9.79 
			 March 2003 5.78 2.81 36.60 10.04 
			 April 2003 5.30 2.67 30.01 8.37 
			 May 2003 5.51 2.77 29.10 8.11 
			 June 2003 5.67 2.82 28.88 7.95 
			 July 2003 6.19 3.14 31.69 9.00 
			 August 2003 5.03 2.57 27.84 7.55 
			 September 2003 5.63 2.80 30.28 8.05 
			 October 2003 5.40 2.61 31.21 8.24 
			 November 2003 4.87 2.35 28.35 7.60 
			 December 2003 4.73 2.31 26.39 7.45 
			 January 2004 4.61 2.24 30.92 8.18 
			 February 2004 5.00 2.46 29.81 7.71 
			 March 2004 6.02 2.98 34.84 9.39 
			 April 20004 4.20 2.12 24.73 6.98 
			 May 2004 4.25 2.07 24.90 6.83 
			 June 2004 5.15 2.46 27.89 7.39 
			 July 2004 5.18 2.61 27.54 7.52 
			 August 2004 5.06 2.51 26.91 7.21 
			 September 2004 5.18 2.51 28.47 7.15 
			 October 2004 4.89 2.38 26.65 7.13 
			 November 2004 5.36 2.64 27.88 7.04 
			 December 2004 4.49 2.22 23.18 6.25 
			 January 2005 4.29 2.20 24.60 6.64 
			 February 2005 5.06 2.60 26.35 6.80 
			 March 2005 5.35 2.64 27.01 7.14 
			 April 2005 5.09 2.60 25.47 6.98 
			 May 2005 4.68 2.44 23.52 6.50 
			 June 2005 4.99 2.50 24.35 6.62 
			 July 2005 4.67 2.44 23.24 6.21 
			 August 2005 4.84 2.58 23.99 6.35 
			 September 2005 4.50 2.34 22.94 5.99 
			 October 2005 4.29 2.23 21.96 5.76 
			 November 2005 4.80 2.45 23.87 6.20 
			 December 2005 4.22 2.23 18.79 5.12 
			 January 2006 4.35 2.26 21.02 5.48 
			 February 2006 4.75 2.47 21.82 5.40 
			 March 2006 5.81 3.12 26.12 6.51 
			 April 2006 4.53 2.41 18.04 4.55 
			 May 2006 5.35 2.80 20.16 5.00 
			 June 2006 6.08 3.15 20.69 5.12 
			 July 2006 5.12 2.63 18.44 4.52 
			 August 2006 5.76 2.94 20.41 4.95 
			 September 2006 5.99 3.01 19.79 4.80 
			 October 2006 6.89 3.29 23.27 5.48 
			 November 2006 7.93 3.86 24.51 5.79 
			 December 2006 6.51 3.09 18.37 4.91 
			 January 2007 8.31 3.98 24.79 6.50 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Figures for later months are subject to revision due to retrospection.  Source: Information Directorate: JSA Sanctions and Disallowance Decisions Statistics Database; data are cumulative from April 2000 to current data extract date.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people claiming jobseeker's allowance remain unemployed as a result of refusing jobs on grounds of  (a) conscientious and  (b) religious objections.

James Plaskitt: The information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many claimants of income-based jobseeker's allowance have  (a) working and  (b) non-working partners;
	(2)  how many claimants of contribution-based jobseeker's allowance have  (a) working and  (b) non-working partners.

James Plaskitt: Information on Jobseeker's Allowance claimants who have partners with full-time earnings is not available. The available information is in the tables.
	
		
			  Income Based Jobseeker's Allowance claimants November 2006 
			   Number 
			 Claimants with a partner with part-time earnings recorded 3,700 
			 Claimants with a partner who does not have part-time earnings recorded 90,200 
		
	
	
		
			  Contribution Based Jobseeker's Allowance claimants November 2006 
			   Number 
			 Claimants with a partner with part-time earnings recorded *300 
			 Claimants with a partner who does not have part-time earnings recorded 51,700 
			  Notes: 1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred. 2. Figures are based on five per cent samples and are therefore subject to sampling variation. 3. Caseloads have been uprated using 5 per cent. proportions against 100 per cent. WPLS totals. 4. Information is given as to whether the claimants have a partner recorded with part-time earnings or self employed part-time earnings. 5. Figures marked '*' are based on very few sample cases and are therefore subject to a high degree of sampling variation, such figures should be used as a guide only.  Sources: DWP Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS). DWP Information Directorate, 5 per cent. samples.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Voluntary Work

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what restrictions are placed on the ability to claim jobseeker's allowance of an individual undertaking voluntary work;
	(2)  what steps his Department has taken to encourage individuals on jobseeker's allowance to undertake voluntary work which benefits their local community.

James Plaskitt: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide my hon. Friend with the information requested.
	 Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 25 June 2007:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions concerning individuals undertaking voluntary work who wish to claim jobseeker's allowance (JSA). This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	The Department recognises that not only does voluntary work make an invaluable contribution to society and local communities, but it can also help improve an individual's readiness for employment. In particular, those jobseekers who have been away from the labour market for some time will find a period of voluntary work not only develops important skills but also helps develop behaviours valuable to prospective employers.
	For these reasons, arrangements are in place to ensure benefit recipients are not discouraged from undertaking voluntary work. Volunteers receiving any benefits can continue to perform their voluntary activity for as many hours as they wish, without affecting their benefit entitlement in any way. For JSA recipients, this is subject to the underlying conditions for JSA being met. These conditions include:
	being available for, and
	actively seeking work each week; and
	having a Jobseeker's Agreement in force.
	JSA recipients are required to be able to take up employment immediately of up to 40 hours per week. Jobcentre Plus arrangements, however, provide an important exception to this rule for people undertaking voluntary work. These volunteers must be willing and able to take up employment on being given one week's notice and to attend a job interview within 48 hours. These arrangements allow volunteers to continue to receive benefits while being engaged in voluntary work.
	In addition, Jobcentre Plus advisers treat involvement in voluntary work as one of the steps a jobseeker can take to improve their chance of securing work. The steps are recorded on the Jobseeker's Agreement, used to monitor jobsearch activities and to inform any additional help that the jobseeker may require.

Low Incomes

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of people were living in households with  (a) below the (i) mean, (ii) mode and (iii) median averages of income in each year since 1992 and  (b) below 60 per cent. of each of those averages of income.

Jim Murphy: holding answer 8 May 2007
	 The available information is in the following tables.
	Information on the modal income cannot be provided as effectively everyone has different incomes.
	The median is the middle value of the incomei.e. there are 50 per cent. of the population above the line and 50 per cent. below the line.
	For our income child poverty threshold we take the value of 60 per cent. of this medianthe fact that we have cut this means that we have moved children from below 60 per cent. of median income to over this threshold.
	The mean income is the average of all individuals and is much higher than the median, this is because of the very high incomes at the top of the income distribution moving the average upwards; the mean is largely driven by the highest incomes.
	By contrast, fraction-of-median poverty lines are unaffected by the highest incomes. Instead they focus, as is appropriate for a poverty measure, on the gap between the poorest and typical families, so they are very clearly measures of poverty rather than inequality.
	
		
			  Table 1: People living in households below mean income: Before  H ousing  C osts 
			   Number (million)  Percentage 
			 1994-95 34.4 62 
			 1995-96 34.8 63 
			 1996-97 34.8 63 
			 1997-98 35.1 63 
			 1998-99 35.5 63 
			 1999-2000 35.7 64 
			 2000-01 36.4 65 
			 2001-02 36.6 65 
			 2002-03 37.4 64 
			 2003-04 37.3 64 
			 2004-05 37.8 64 
			 2005-06 38.1 64 
			  Source:  Family Resources Survey. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: People living in households below 60 per cent. mean income: Before  H ousing  C osts 
			   Number (million )  Percentage 
			 1994-95 16.6 30 
			 1995-96 16.5 30 
			 1996-97 16.6 30 
			 1997-98 16.8 30 
			 1998-99 17.4 31 
			 1999-2000 17.1 31 
			 2000-01 17.3 31 
			 2001-02 16.9 30 
			 2002-03 17.2 30 
			 2003-04 16.9 29 
			 2004-05 16.9 29 
			 2005-06 17.3 29 
			  Notes: 1. Data are for Great Britain up to 2001-02 and for the United Kingdom from 2002-03 onwards because the Family Resources Survey did not collect Northern Ireland data until 2002-03. 2. Figures are based on OECD equalisation factors and therefore will not be the same as any figures previously published that were based on McClements equivalisation factors.  Source:  Family Resources Survey. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: People living in households below median income: Before  H ousing  C osts 
			   Number (million )  Percentage 
			 1994-95 27.7 50 
			 1995-96 27.7 50 
			 1996-97 27.8 50 
			 1997-98 27.9 50 
			 1998-99 28.8 50 
			 1999-2000 28.9 50 
			 2000-01 29.0 50 
			 2001-02 29.1 50 
			 2002-03 29.2 50 
			 2003-04 29.3 50 
			 2004-05 29.4 50 
			 2005-06 29.6 50 
			  Source:  Family Resources Survey 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 4: People living in households below 60 per cent. median income: Before  H ousing  C osts 
			   Number (million )  Percentage 
			 1994-95 10.4 19 
			 1995-96 9.9 18 
			 1996-97 10.8 19 
			 1997-98 10.9 20 
			 1998-99 11.2 19 
			 1999-2000 11.1 19 
			 2000-01 10.7 19 
			 2001-02 10.7 18 
			 2002-03 10.6 18 
			 2003-04 10.4 18 
			 2004-05 10.0 17 
			 2005-06 10.4 18 
			  Notes: 1. Data are for Great Britain up to 1997-98 and for the United Kingdom from 1998-99 onwards. This is because we have imputed information for Northern Ireland for years 1998-99 to 2001-02 for the low-income thresholds related to the median for trend tables in HBAI. 2. By definition, the percentage of people living below median income will always be 50 per cent. 3. Figures are based on OECD equivalisation factors and therefore will not be the same as any figures previously published that were based on McClements equivalisation factors.  Source:  Family Resources Survey

National Insurance Contributions: Rebates

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the effect on costs to the Exchequer of the cap on the level of the age-related national insurance rebates for contracted-out pension schemes for each year from 1992-93 to 2007-08; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what the saving to the public purse has been from capping contracted-out rebates to  (a) money purchase schemes and  (b) appropriate personal pensions since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

James Purnell: Age-related national insurance rebates are paid from the National Insurance Fund. Information on the effect of the cap on the rebates is in the following table.
	
		
			  Costs 
			million 
			   Contracted-out money purchase schemes  Contracted-out personal pension schemes 
			 1997-98 200 600 
			 1998-99 100 700 
			 1999-2000 100 600 
			 2000-01 100 600 
			 2001-02 100 600 
			 2002-03 (1)0 1,000 
			 2003-04 (1)0 900 
			 2004-05 100 700 
			 2005-06 (1)0 500 
			 2006-07 (1)0 400 
			 2007-08 200 1,400 
			 (1) Denotes where savings are less than 50 million  Notes: 1. Figures represent savings to the National Insurance Fund arising from the capping of age-related rebates 2. Figures are for GB and are expressed cash terms rounded to the nearest 100 million 3. Figures are consistent with long-term PBR 2006 projections 4. Age-related rebates were not introduced until 1997-98 so had no impact on the National Insurance Fund for the period 1992-93 to 1996-97 5. Figures for 2007-08 are based on DWP estimates. Figures before that are based on actual out-turn data but are still subject to a high degree of uncertainty due behavioural effects associated with the rebate cap.

National Insurance Contributions: Rebates

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1540W, on national insurance contributions: rebates, for what reasons the Government are expecting the number of people in contracted-out defined benefit pension schemes to fall between 2006-07 and 2015-16; and if he will make a statement.

James Purnell: The reason estimates of the number of individuals contracted out in defined benefit pension schemes between 2006-07 and 2015-16 is shown to be declining, is due to a fall in the number of private sector contracted-out defined benefit schemes, and a fall in the number of such schemes open to new members. This is based on evidence from the 2004 and 2005 GAD Occupational Pension Schemes Survey.

New Deal for 50 Plus

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many participants of the New Deal 50 Plus left the programme for employment in each month since its inception.

Jim Murphy: holding answer 6 June 2007
	 Since April 2001, over 170,000 people have gained a job while registered with new deal 50 plus.
	Information on the number of people leaving new deal 50 plus who are recorded as having an immediate destination of employment, by the month they left, is provided in the table. This information is only available from February 2004.
	The figures in the table do not include all people who have gained a job while registered with new deal 50 plus.
	
		
			  New deal 50 plus 
			   Number of leavers to employment 
			  2004  
			 February 40 
			 March 80 
			 April 120 
			 May 140 
			 June 170 
			 July 240 
			 August 220 
			 September 210 
			 October 290 
			 November 270 
			 December 270 
			   
			  2005  
			 January 240 
			 February 230 
			 March 230 
			 April 310 
			 May 340 
			 June 310 
			 July 320 
			 August 260 
			 September 330 
			 October 280 
			 November 290 
			 December 280 
			   
			  2006  
			 January 200 
			 February 320 
			 March 310 
			 April 240 
			 May 210 
			 June 290 
			 July 180 
			 August 190 
			 September 240 
			 October 200 
			 November 200 
			  Notes: 1. Data on leavers is only available from February 2004. 2. Latest information is to November 2006. 3. Figures do not include people who have moved into employment but remain on the programme. 4. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.  Source:  Information Directorate, DWP from IMS (Labour Market System) data.

New Deal for Partners

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people the Government estimate to have been eligible to participate in the New Deal for Partners in each month since 2004.

Jim Murphy: The information is not available.

New Deal for Young People

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what training is compulsory for people who are entering the new deal for young people for the  (a) first time and  (b) second and subsequent times.

Jim Murphy: New deal for young people is a mandatory programme for participants. Those who have not found work and left jobseeker's allowance after completing the Gateway part of the programme are required to participate in one of four Options: the Employment Option; the Full Time Education and Training Option; the Voluntary Sector Option or the Environment Task Force Option. Participants will discuss and agree the most appropriate Option with a Personal Adviser, taking into account their specific needs. Although it is compulsory for participants to choose an Option, it is not compulsory for them to undertake training or choose the Full Time Education and Training Option, whether joining the programme for the first or subsequent time.

New Deal for Young People

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many participants there were on the new deal for young people in each month since 1998; and how many of them left the scheme for sustainable employment in each month.

Jim Murphy: People entering new deal for young people (NDYP) receive intensive help to support them into work. This is delivered through the Gateway, the NDYP Options and the follow-through period.
	The available information on the number of participants on NDYP in each month, and the number of those leaving the programme in each month to sustained employment is in the table.
	
		
			  New deal for young people 
			  Month of participation  Number of participants  Of which, the number who subsequently left to sustained employment  Proportion leaving to sustained employment 
			  1998
			 July 102,490 48,510 47.3 
			 August 112,800 52,530 46.6 
			 September 120,050 55,090 45.9 
			 October 126,090 56,560 44.9 
			 November 129,940 57,370 44.2 
			 December 133,130 58,580 44.0 
			  1999
			 January 138,490 61,300 44.3 
			 February 141,760 62,240 43.9 
			 March 144,530 62,830 43.5 
			 April 145,560 62,700 43.1 
			 May 145,730 62,600 43.0 
			 June 144,410 61,860 42.8 
			 July 145,990 62,780 43.0 
			 August 143,560 61,660 43.0 
			 September 138,050 58,650 42.5 
			 October 131,360 54,360 41.4 
			 November 126,800 51,700 40.8 
			 December 127,700 52,920 41.4 
			  2000
			 January 129,470 54,700 42.2 
			 February 128,730 54,670 42.5 
			 March 128,350 54,330 42.3 
			 April 127,090 53,680 42.2 
			 May 126,120 53,030 42.0 
			 June 122,550 51,480 42.0 
			 July 121,980 51,330 42.1 
			 August 119,350 50,040 41.9 
			 September 111,400 45,930 41.2 
			 October 106,430 42,950 40.4 
			 November 103,080 40,880 39.7 
			 December 103,810 41,730 40.2 
			  2001
			 January 105,820 43,630 41.2 
			 February 104,670 43,280 41.3 
			 March 103,550 42,790 41.3 
			 April 102,950 42,290 41.1 
			 May 102,310 41,750 40.8 
			 June 99,550 40,330 40.5 
			 July 100,220 40,690 40.6 
			 August 97,940 39,460 40.3 
			 September 94,730 37,410 39.5 
			 October 91,600 35,180 38.4 
			 November 89,410 33,620 37.6 
			 December 90,550 34,520 38.1 
			  2002
			 January 92,450 35,890 38.8 
			 February 94,370 36,990 39.2 
			 March 96,170 37,790 39.3 
			 April 97,180 38,110 39.2 
			 May 98,110 38,390 39.1 
			 June 96,400 37,830 39.2 
			 July 97,730 38,560 39.5 
			 August 96,110 37,750 39.3 
			 September 92,510 35,810 38.7 
			 October 89,930 33,860 37.7 
			 November 87,530 32,180 36.8 
			 December 88,860 33,020 37.2 
			  2003
			 January 92,460 35,340 38.2 
			 February 92,870 35,770 38.5 
			 March 94,440 36,600 38.8 
			 April 94,430 36,540 38.7 
			 May 95,150 36,880 38.8 
			 June 94,360 36,670 38.9 
			 July 96,410 37,800 39.2 
			 August 95,690 37,430 39.1 
			 September 92,640 35,660 38.5 
			 October 88,960 32,840 36.9 
			 November 87,320 31,430 36.0 
			 December 88,190 32,000 36.3 
			  2004
			 January 90,470 33,610 37.2 
			 February 90,300 33,540 37.1 
			 March 90,680 33,250 36.7 
			 April 90,310 32,540 36.0 
			 May 89,940 31,830 35.4 
			 June 87,760 30,720 35.0 
			 July 87,820 30,660 34.9 
			 August 86,460 29,900 34.6 
			 September 82,770 27,570 33.3 
			 October 78,810 24,740 31.4 
			 November 77,610 23,290 30.0 
			 December 78,720 23,860 30.3 
			  2005
			 January 80,500 24,840 30.9 
			 February 81,400 24,980 30.7 
			 March 82,490 25,240 30.6 
			 April 83,840 25,360 30.2 
			 May 84,670 25,230 29.8 
			 June 83,360 24,590 29.5 
			 July 85,970 25,320 29.5 
			 August 86,480 25,300 29.3 
			 September 83,840 23,690 28.3 
			 October 82,060 22,080 26.9 
			 November 81,310 20,860 25.7 
			 December 83,440 21,490 25.8 
			  2006
			 January 86,770 23,010 26.5 
			 February 88,390 23,380 26.5 
			 March 91,840 23,970 26.1 
			 April 93,660 23,990 25.6 
			 May 95,930 23,760 24.8 
			 June 95,340 22,750 23.9 
			 July 97,780 22,580 23.1 
			 August 97,790 21,430 21.9 
			 September 93,320 17,730 19.0 
			 October 90,360 13,820 15.3 
			 November 88,380 10,300 11.7 
			  Notes: 1. A person participating on the programme for more than one month will be included in the table for each month that they are participating. 2. People leaving the programme to sustained employment are counted in each month for the duration of their participation on the programme, for example, a person starting the programme in January 2005, who leaves for sustained employment in May 2005, will be counted in January, February, March, April and May 2005. 3. A person is defined as leaving new deal for young people for employment if they have not returned to claim jobseeker's allowance within 13 weeks. 4. Numbers and proportions of people leaving to sustained employment in more recent months would be expected to be lower as some of these people will only recently have joined the programme and will not have had time to leave to sustained employment. 5. Information on participants is only available from July 1998. 6. Latest data is to November 2006. 7. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.  Source:  New Deal Evaluation Database, Information Directorate, DWP

New Deal Schemes

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of applicants on each New Deal programme were placed in jobs lasting  (a) 13 weeks and under and  (b) over 13 weeks in each region in each quarter since 1998.

Jim Murphy: Information is not available on the duration of employment obtained through new deal 50-plus and new deal for partners.
	Information on sustained employment through new deal for disabled people is only available to March 2006, as separate data on whether a job is sustained or not have not been collected centrally since then.
	The available information has been placed in the Library.

New Deal Schemes

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent on each New Deal programme in each year since 1998; and what proportion of this expenditure consisted of administrative costs in each year.

Jim Murphy: Information is not available beyond 2002-03, following agreement with HM Treasury in 2002-03 when ring-fences were removed from new deal. As a result, it is no longer possible to identify the costs of administering each new deal separately. The available information is in the tables.
	New deal for partners was introduced in April 1999. Costs for 1998-99 and 1999-2000 are coded as 100 per cent. admin as they were either set-up costs or adviser caseload-activity only, which only incurs admin costs.
	
		
			  Jobcentre Plus, expenditure on new deal (total expenditure) 
			   1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03 
			 New Deal for Young People 43 260 370 412 308 314 
			 New Deal for 25-Plus  34 97 60 213 238 
			 New Deal for 50-Plus   3 56 87 87 
			 New Deal for Lone Parents  18 39 43 46 62 
			 New Deal for Disabled People  1 22 14 10 31 
			 New Deal for Partners  1 5 11 8 6 
			 Total 43 314 536 596 672 738 
		
	
	
		
			  Jobcentre Plus, administration expenditure on new deal as a percentage of total expenditure 
			   1997-98  1998-99  1999- 20 00  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03 
			 New Deal for Young People 72 38 24 29 29 30 
			 New Deal for 25-Plus  50 27 30 34 30 
			 New Deal for 50-Plus   67 20 6 6 
			 New Deal for Lone Parents  94 69 67 80 71 
			 New Deal for Disabled People  100 32 50 60 48 
			 New Deal for Partners  100 100 91 75 100 
			 Total 72 43 29 33 32 32 
			  Notes: 1. Expenditure data includes start-up costs. 2. New deal 25-plus programme includes costs associated with a mandatory Intensive Activity Period introduced in April 2001. 3. Programme start dates are: new deal for young people: January 1998; new deal 25-plus: July 1998; new deal for lone parents: October 1998; new deal for partners: April 1999; new deal 50-plus: April 2000; new deal for disabled people: July 2001 (new deal for disabled people pilots ran from September 1998 to June 2001). 4. Costs in 2002-03 for new deal for partners are also coded as 100 per cent. Admin as all activity in that year was adviser caseload action, and did not include any contracted provision. The programme was re-launched the following year and was enhanced to offer partners the same level of help and support available through new deal for lone parents.  Source: DWP departmental reports 2004-05, Jobcentre Plus accounts 2005-06.

New Deal Schemes

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have been helped into employment in each year since 2001 by  (a) the New Deal for young people,  (b) New Deal 25 plus,  (c) New Deal 50 plus,  (d) New Deal for disabled people and  (e) New Deal for lone parents.

Jim Murphy: The information is in the following table.
	
		
			  New dealpeople into jobs since 2001 
			   New deal for young people  New deal 25 plus  New deal 50 plus  New deal for disabled people  New deal for lone parents 
			 2001 82,030 33,000 35,080 1,000 56,320 
			 2002 74,400 43,580 31,840 8,190 71,200 
			 2003 75,710 43,980 24,040 16,240 72,060 
			 2004 73,650 41,240 23,440 29,520 83,770 
			 2005 63,580 34,220 19,210 37,750 72,330 
			  Notes: 1. Latest complete year information is for 2005. 2. Programme start dates are: New Deal for Young People: January 1998; New Deal 25 plus: July 1998; New Deal for Lone Parents: October 1998; New Deal for Partners: April 1999; New Deal 50 plus: April 2000; New Deal for Disabled People: July 2001. 3. Information is for individuals gaining a job, not total jobs gained. 4. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: New Deal Evaluation Database, Information Directorate, Department for Work and Pensions

New Deal Schemes: Disabled

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make changes to the new deal self-employment test trading scheme so that disabled people in receipt of incapacity benefit can access it.

Jim Murphy: New deal self-employment test-trading provision is already available to incapacity benefit recipients who are eligible through new deal for lone parents and new deal for partners. Additionally, we already have powers to offer test-trading as part of Pathways to Work, which will be rolled-out nationally by April 2008. We amended the Social Security (Incapacity for Work) Regulations 1995 in 2006 to ensure that participants do not lose their incapacity benefit because of their work or earnings under test-trading.

Occupational Pensions

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 19 December 2006,  Official Report, column 2005W, on pensions, what was assumed about the  (a) mean salary and  (b) median salary of people eligible for auto-enrolment and choosing not to opt out, when calculating the cost to employers of auto-enrolling staff into existing open schemes on existing terms.

James Purnell: The wage assumption used to calculate the costs to employers of auto-enrolling staff into existing schemes was based upon data from the 2005 Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, the derived estimates were broken down by standard industry classification and firm size. The mean salary used in the analysis was approximately 19,000. The median salary is 15,000.
	These wages are lower than the national averages as employees without pensions are more likely to be low to moderate earners.

Occupational Pensions

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate how many of the estimated 10.8 million employees listed as eligible for automatic enrolment in figure 1.xi of Security in retirement: towards a new pension scheme work for employers with defined benefit schemes that are still open to new members; and how many active members there are in these schemes.

James Purnell: The information is not available in the format requested.
	However we estimate that approximately 10 per cent. of employees eligible for automatic enrolment work for employers where the defined benefit scheme is the main open option. We cannot estimate how many of these would be eligible to join that scheme.
	Estimates from the Government Actuary Department(1) suggest the number of private sector employees in open defined benefit schemes is approximately 2.1 million.
	(1) Government Actuary Department Survey of Occupational Pensions 2005

Occupational Pensions

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library the information his Department holds on the industrial classification of employers which have kept defined benefit schemes open to new employees.

James Purnell: Information on the industrial classification of employers with open occupational schemes was published in table 5.11 of DWP Research Report No. 207 Employers' Pension Provision 2003. The publication can be found at
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/rports2003-2004/rrep207.asp
	I have placed a copy of the table in the Library.

Occupational Pensions

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of the estimated 10.8 million employees listed as eligible for automatic enrolment in figure 1.xi of security of retirement: towards a new pension system who work for  (a) employers who currently make no pension contributions,  (b) employers who currently offer pension contributions worth less than three per cent. of salary,  (c) employers who currently offer pension contributions worth at least three per cent. of salary but less than six per cent. and  (d) employers who currently offer pension contributions of six per cent. of salary or more.

James Purnell: The information is not available in the format requested. Information from another data source suggests the approximate proportions shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Employer contribution  Proportion of the eligible population (percentage) 
			 No provision 60 
			 0 8 
			 0-2.99 per cent. 1 
			 3-5.99 per cent. 10 
			 6 per cent. or more 20 
			  Note:  DWP analysis based on the employer pension provision survey (2005) and the annual survey of hours and earnings (2005).

Occupational Pensions

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment has been made of the impact on public sector defined benefit schemes of requiring automatic re-enrolment every three years.

James Purnell: Forthcoming legislation will require both public sector and private employers to operate automatic re-enrolment. The detailed framework is under development. We are giving the business processes careful consideration so that any burdens on business are minimised.

Occupational Pensions

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what analysis his Department has undertaken comparing the different levels of pension provision recorded by the Office for National Statistics' Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, his Department's Employers' Pension Provision Survey and the Government Actuary's Department's Occupational Pension Scheme's Survey; and what conclusions he has drawn.

James Purnell: The three surveys have different sample populations and provide alternative perspectives and information on pension provision and membership.
	The Employers' Pension Provision (EPP) survey examines pension provision among private sector employers in Britain. Results focus on pension provision (occupational pension schemes, group personal pensions and stakeholder pension) analysed by size of employer. The survey also provides some information about the characteristics of employers that had no pension provision. This survey does not provide robust estimates of numbers of pension schemes and memberships as the interaction between employers and pension schemes is complex: some employers, particularly larger employers may have several pension schemes and some pension schemes are multi-employer schemes.
	The Occupational Pension Schemes Survey (OPSS) is now conducted by the Office for National Statistics and provides information about occupational schemes for both public and private sector employers. This survey provides more robust information about the number of schemes and scheme memberships than is available from the EPP. There will be double counting of scheme members within the OPSS results as an individual employee could be an active member of one scheme, but be a deferred member or in receipt of a pension from another scheme.
	The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) provides detailed information about job details, hours and earnings and employer-sponsored pension arrangements for employees. Results are used primarily to provide National Statistics estimates of average earnings, minimum wage and gender pay gap. Results from this survey provide analyses about demographic and socio-economic characteristics of pension scheme members (age, sex and income level) by scheme type which is not available from the other two surveys. This survey also provides valuable information about the characteristics of employees who are not active members of a pension scheme.

Occupational Pensions

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the numbers of members of workplace pension schemes (defined benefit and defined contributions) where the total contribution from employers and employees is between 3,600 and 5,000, broken down by steps of 100.

James Purnell: The numbers of members of workplace pension schemes (defined benefit and defined contribution) where the total contribution from employers and employees is between 3,600 and 5,000 are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Total contribution  Number of employees 
			 3,600 to 3,699 130,000 
			 3,700 to 3,799 130,000 
			 3,800 to 3,899 140,000 
			 3,900 to 3,999 120,000 
			 4,000 to 4,099 130,000 
			 4,100 to 4,199 120,000 
			 4,200 to 4,299 120,000 
			 4,300 to 4,399 120,000 
			 4,400 to 4,499 110,000 
			 4,500 to 4,599 110,000 
			 4,600 to 4,699 110,000 
			 4,700 to 4,799 110,000 
			 4,800 to 4,899 110,000 
			 4,900 to 4,999 100,000 
			  Notes: 1. All figures are estimates and are taken from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Office for National Statistics). 2006 is the latest year for which the data are available. The coverage of the survey is Great Britain. 2. Results are rounded to the nearest 10,000. 3. Results only include employees aged 16 to State Pension age. 4. Results cover defined benefit schemes and defined contribution schemes only. 5. Total pension contributions include both employee and employer contributions. 6. The figures provided exclude the value of contracted-out rebates. 7. Individuals who are members of a pension scheme but where there is no information about employer or employee contributions have not been included.  Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2006 
		
	
	On 14 June, 2007, the Government published their summary of responses to the White Paper Personal accounts: a new way to save consultation exercise. This document contained further analysis on the personal accounts contribution limit and concluded that an annual limit of 3,600 would be an appropriate figure. Such a figure will ensure that Personal Accounts will stay focused on the target market, complementing rather than competing with existing provision, while still providing moderate to low earners with sufficient room to meet benchmark replacement rates.

Parliamentary Questions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he will answer questions  (a) 102062,  (b) 102127,  (c) 102163,  (d) 102160,  (e) 102198,  (f) 102211,  (g) 102219,  (h) 102220,  (i) 102157,  (j) 102248,  (k) 102259,  (l) 102232 and  (m) 102115, tabled on 17 November 2006, and questions (i) 103216, tabled on 21 November 2006, (ii) 104255, tabled on 22 November 2006, and (iii) 107249, tabled on 28 November 2006, by the hon. Member for Yeovil.

Anne McGuire: Replies were given to the hon. Member's questions as follows:
	102062 on 17 January 2007,  Official Report , column 1174W
	102127 on 20 February 2007,  Official Report , column 628W
	102163 on 15 March 2007,  Official Report , column 512W
	102160 on 5 February 2007,  Official Report , column 656W
	102198 on 8 February 2007,  Official Report , column 1205W
	102211 was transferred to HM Treasury on 23 November 2006
	102219 on 20 March 2007,  Official Report , columns 642-43W
	102220 on 22 February 2007,  Official Report , columns 1919-20W
	102157 on 22 March 2007,  Official Report , column 1074W
	102248 on 26 January 2007,  Official Report , column 2110W
	102259 on 30 January 2007,  Official Report , column 266W
	102232 on 26 January 2007,  Official Report , columns 2108-09W
	102115 on 15 March 2007,  Official Report , columns 513-16W
	103216 was tabled for the Department of Communities and Local Government
	104255 on 8 February 2007,  Official Report , column 1192W
	107249 on 20 February 2007,  Official Report , columns 634 -35W

Parliamentary Questions

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department has discussed  (a) the traffic light grading of Parliamentary Questions and  (b) unanswered Parliamentary Questions in the last 12 months.

Anne McGuire: The Department's aim has always been to answer Parliamentary Questions within the deadlines specified by Parliament, and no longer colour codes questions as part of their processing. Information relating to internal discussion and advice is not disclosed in order to protect frankness and candour.

Pension Credit

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people the Pensions Service has written to in the last 12 months to encourage them to apply for pension credit.

James Purnell: During the last 12 months The Pension Service sent 2,810,002 direct mailings to our customers encouraging them to apply for pension credit.

Pension Credit: IT

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether a new IT system was commissioned for the introduction of pension credit.

James Purnell: The processing of Pension Credit was delivered on an existing system, namely the Income Support Computer System. However to support the requirement for an enhanced customer experience and a targeted marketing campaign, a new Electronic Customer Relationship Management application was developedPension Credit Front End (PCFE). PCFE enabled the customer to provide the information required to make a Pension Credit application via the telephone, which resulted in a pre-completed application form being issued to the customer for them to return to the Pension Service.

Pension Credit: Telephone Services

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the running cost was of the freephone Pension Credit telephone number which advises pensioners where to send their Pension Credit application form in the latest period for which figures are available.

James Purnell: The Pension Credit Application Line (PCAL) is for people over the age of 60, or those approaching 60, who wish to apply for or make an enquiry about pension credit.
	The service supplied by BT, under contract to DWP, delivered the infrastructure (networks, hardware and software) required to deliver the PCAL operation from an advanced telephony contact centre. Telephony services include advanced call routing (to deliver calls to the appropriate agent), management information in real time via wallboards and via historic reporting, call records (that make it easier to trace a call) and call recording (for quality and monitoring purposes). This service is backed up by appropriate service levels for availability and incident fix times.
	The total number of calls the pension credit application line (0800 991234) received for the six months, 12 September 2006 to 11 March 2007 was 517,624. The total telephone charge for this period was 759,450.

Pensioners: Council Tax Benefits

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of eligible pensioners in Stoke-on-Trent who do not claim council tax benefit; and what steps he is taking to reduce this number.

James Plaskitt: Estimates of take-up are not available below the level of Great Britain. The latest estimates of the take-up of the main income-related benefits: income support, pension credit, housing benefit, council tax benefit and jobseeker's allowance (income-based) in Great Britain can be found in the DWP report entitled Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take-Up in 2004-05. Copies of the publication are available in the Library.
	We are taking steps to improve awareness and take-up of benefits for specific groups. For example, The Pension Service is undertaking a wide range of steps to encourage eligible pensioners to claim pension credit, including writing to everyone who may have an entitlement and encouraging them to apply. All pensioners applying for pension credit can now access housing benefit and council tax benefit over the phone at the same time.

Pensions

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he has taken to protect the assets of pension schemes in wind-up with a deficiency of assets, pending the outcome of the review he has established.

James Purnell: It is not for the Government to offer advice to trustees on whether and when they should purchase annuities. Trustees must act in the best interests of their members and in accordance with scheme rules and their statutory obligations. The government would not want to issue advice that may conflict with these responsibilities in some circumstances. It is important that trustees continue the process of winding up including data cleansing and determination of asset shares. They may, however, wish to consider whether it is in the best interest of their members to purchase annuities ahead of the interim findings of the assets review which have been promised in the summer.

Pensions

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the scope will be of the initial report to be published this summer on pension scheme assets held by schemes in wind-up with a deficiency of assets.

James Purnell: The focus of the review is to examine how we make best use of the assets in pension schemes that are winding up under funded with an insolvent employer or who come within the extension for solvent employers whose schemes signed a compromise agreement. The intention of the review is to determine how these or other sources of non-public expenditure funding (that have not already been allocated) could be used to increase assistance for affected scheme members.

Pensions

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 19 February 2007,  Official Report, column 365W, on pensions, how employer contributions to funded defined benefit schemes were apportioned to individual employees when calculating the number of employees with combined employer and employee contributions in excess of 5,000; and whether special contributions aimed at reducing pension deficits are included in these calculations.

James Purnell: Results published in the table at column 365W of the  Official Report for 19 February 2007 were produced using data from the annual survey of hours and earnings (ASHE). ASHE collects for individual employees their pensionable pay and the pension contribution amounts made by them and their employer for a pay period in April, and no apportioning to individuals is therefore necessary. For the 2005 survey special contributions were not explicitly excluded from the data collection. However, such payments made as lump sums that cover more than one employee cannot be easily attributed to an individual and so are not in scope of the ASHE survey. In addition as the survey collects data for a specific period in April it does not cover pay exclude the majority of special contributions made in that year.

Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his latest estimate is of the number of people in  (a) contracted in and  (b) contracted out (i) defined benefit and (ii) defined contribution pension schemes in each year from 1997-98 to 2020-21; if he will break down his estimate for defined contribution schemes between (A) occupational schemes and (B) personal pensions; and if he will make a statement.

James Purnell: The information requested is not available. Information as is available is in the following tables.
	
		
			  Table A: contracted-out scheme membership 
			   Type of contracted-out scheme 
			Defined contribution 
			   Defined benefit  Occupational  Personal 
			 1997-98 7.6 0.8 3.5 
			 1998-99 7.7 0.8 3.5 
			 1999-2000 7.6 0.7 3.5 
			 2000-01 7.8 0.7 3.5 
			 2001-02 7.7 0.7 3.5 
			 2002-03 7.6 0.6 3.3 
			 2003-04 7.6 0.6 2.9 
			 2004-05 7.6 0.5 2.7 
			 2005-06 7.6 0.4 2.3 
			 2006-07 7.6 0.4 2.0 
			 2007-08 7.5 0.3 1.3 
			 2008-09 7.5 0.3 1.2 
			 2009-10 7.4 0.3 1.1 
			 2010-11 7.3 0.3 1.1 
			 2011-12 7.2 0.2 1.0 
			 2012-13 7.1 0.0 0.0 
			 2013-14 7.0 0.0 0.0 
			 2014-15 6.9 0.0 0.0 
			 2015-16 6.8 0.0 0.0 
			 2016-17 6.7 0.0 0.0 
			 2017-18 6.7 0.0 0.0 
			 2018-19 6.6 0.0 0.0 
			 2019-20 6.5 0.0 0.0 
			 2020-21 6.4 0.0 0.0 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are for UK and are shown in millions. 2. Figures for defined contribution personal pension schemes include stakeholder pension schemes.  Source: Actual figures derived from Second Tier Pension Provision Statistics for 1996-972003-04 and DWP estimates thereafter 
		
	
	
		
			  Table B: contracted-in occupational scheme membership 
			   Type of contracted-in scheme 
			   Defined benefit  Defined contribution 
			 2000 0.20 0.70 
			 2004 0.60 0.39 
			 2005 0.70 0.44 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are for UK and are shown in millions 2. Figures for defined contribution personal pension schemes include stakeholder pension schemes 3. Information on the number of people in contracted-in personal pension schemes is not available.  Source: Government Actuary's Department Survey of Employers' Pension Schemes, 2000, 2004 and 2005

Pensions: Advisory Services

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the Pensions Service follow-up procedure is once a home visit has been carried out.

James Purnell: The Pension Service local service was developed to provide face-to-face access for our customers, including home visits. Following a home visit, applications for pension credit are sent to the appropriate pension centre for processing. Applications for other benefits or entitlements are forwarded to the appropriate authority for consideration.

Pensions: Advisory Services

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many employees of the Pensions Service are deployed on undertaking home visits.

James Purnell: The Pension Service local service employs 1,728 staff to carry out home visits. Due to various working patterns such as part year contracts and reduced hours, this figure equates to 1,545.76 whole time equivalent staff.

Pensions: Advisory Services

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many home visits a member of the Pensions Service visit teams is expected to undertake on average over the course of a year.

James Purnell: There are no targets for the number of visits undertaken by a member of local service visit teams.

Pensions: Advisory Services

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the local partners with which the Pensions Service has been working in its efforts to identify harder-to-reach customers.

James Purnell: As well as national voluntary sector organisations such as Age Concern and Help the Aged, the Pension Service also works closely with numerous local groups and representatives. As these are community based there is no definitive list held.

Pensions: Advisory Services

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the Pensions Service follow-up procedure is once a pensions forecast has been provided.

James Purnell: The Pension Service does not initiate any follow up action with pension forecast customers.

Pensions: Budget March 2007

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when  (a) he and  (b) his officials first learned of changes in the Budget 2007 which would affect (i) the reforms to the state second pension in the Pension Bill and (ii) his proposals for the personal accounts earnings band.

James Purnell: In the period leading up to Budget 2007 Ministers and officials from the Department for Work and Pensions and Her Majesty's Treasury were in frequent contact, including on a range of pension measures. In addition, in line with the normal Budget convention regarding tax matters, the Paymaster General wrote to DWP Ministers on Budget Day to confirm the changes. DWP and HMT officials are currently working together to implement these changes.

Pensions: Compensation

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will assess the merits of the use of unclaimed assets in the financial sector as a source of compensation for people who have lost pension savings as part of his review of pension scheme assets.

James Purnell: The focus of the assets review is to examine how we make best use of the assets in pension schemes that are winding up under funded with an insolvent employer or who come within the extension for solvent employers whose schemes signed a compromise agreement. The intention of the review is to determine how these or other sources of non-public expenditure funding (that have not already been allocated) could be used to increase assistance for affected scheme members. The review will be open to any suggestions from interested and concerned parties, including those made by the hon. Member. The review will provide an initial view in the summer, consult formally in the autumn and then report by the end of the year.

Pensions: Financial Assistance Scheme

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost of extending the level of Pension Protection Fund benefits to all those in the Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS), including those who have lost their pensions but who fall below the age cut-off for the FAS  (a) in net present value terms using 2006-07 prices and  (b) in cash terms for each year from 2007-08 to 2060-61; what allowance has been made in these estimates for reduced means-tested benefit payments and higher tax yields; and if he will make a statement.

James Purnell: We estimate that it will cost 2.5 billion in net present value terms (in 2006-07 prices) over the next 60 years to extend the level of Pension Protection Fund benefits to all those in the Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS), including those who have lost their pensions but who fall below the current age cut-off for the FAS. This represents an additional 640 million in net present value terms on the costs of the extended FAS as announced in the Budget 2007.
	The impact of FAS payments on means-tested benefits and income tax payments will depend on the total incomes of potential FAS recipients, which cannot be reliably projected. As a result, no allowance has been made for these in the estimates.
	The additional annual cost of this in cash terms (in 2006-07 prices) compared to the budget extension is presented in the following table.
	
		
			  Additional annual cash costs of providing PPF benefits to everyone in FAS compared to the Budget Extension 
			   Cash ( million) 
			 2007-08 (1)56 
			 2008-09 9 
			 2009-10 6 
			 2010-11 7 
			 2011-12 15 
			 2012-13 25 
			 2013-14 28 
			 2014-15 32 
			 2015-16 35 
			 2016-17 39 
			 2017-18 42 
			 2018-19 44 
			 2019-20 44 
			 2020-21 48 
			 2021-22 51 
			 2022-23 54 
			 2023-24 57 
			 2024-25 60 
			 2025-26 64 
			 2026-27 66 
			 2027-28 69 
			 2028-29 72 
			 2029-30 74 
			 2030-31 76 
			 2031-32 78 
			 2032-33 79 
			 2033-34 79 
			 2034-35 80 
			 2035-36 80 
			 2036-37 79 
			 2037-38 78 
			 2038-39 76 
			 2039-40 74 
			 2040-41 71 
			 2041-42 68 
			 2042-43 66 
			 2043-44 63 
			 2044-45 60 
			 2045-46 57 
			 2046-47 54 
			 2047-48 51 
			 2048-49 47 
			 2049-50 44 
			 2050-51 41 
			 2051-52 38 
			 2052-53 35 
			 2053-54 32 
			 2054-55 29 
			 2055-56 26 
			 2056-57 24 
			 2057-58 21 
			 2058-59 19 
			 2059-60 16 
			 2060-61 14 
			 (1) 2007-08 figure is high because it includes the cost of paying arrears for 2004-05 to 2006-07. It is assumed that the FAS Operational Unit is able to pay all those eligible for FAS as soon as they turn 65.  Notes: These sums refer to the amount that would be required to replicateas far as possiblethe benefits the PPF provides within the administrative structures of FAS. Costs are rounded to the nearest 1 million and expressed in 2006-07 prices. These estimates have made no allowance for reduced means-tested benefit payments or higher tax yields 
		
	
	.

Pensions: Financial Assistance Scheme

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the potential role of the Financial Assistance Scheme in helping occupational pension schemes in wind up to get their data department in order to accelerate the assessment phase of the process.

James Purnell: Currently the Financial Assistance Scheme Operational Unit (FASOU) offers support and guidance to individual trustees or administrators to help improve the quality of the data being provided to them. In the last year the FASOU has visited 34 trustees and administrators, (who are responsible for over 50 per cent. of qualifying schemes) to discuss these issues and clarify FAS requirements.
	FASOU is also working with external experts, in particular Mercers, to deepen staff understanding of pension schemes; particular processes and issues.

Pensions: Financial Assistance Scheme

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 19 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1745W, which pension funds now eligible for the Financial Assistance Scheme had previously declared a pensions holiday.

James Purnell: The information requested is not available.

Pensions: Forecasts

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people received combined pension forecasts in the last year for which figures are available.

James Purnell: From April 2006 to March 2007 the Pension Service has provided information to employers and other pension providers to enable them to issue 4,382,761 combined pension forecasts to their employees and customers.

Pensions: Incapacity Benefit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people retiring in the past 12 months and gaining a full retirement pension had  (a) one to five,  (b) six to 10 and  (c) 11 to 15 years national insurance credits as a result of claiming incapacity benefit.

James Purnell: Figures are not currently available on the number of people retiring over the past 12 months and gaining a full retirement pension who have received national insurance credits as a result of claiming incapacity benefit.
	The most recent figures on national insurance contributions held by the Department for Work and Pensions relate to those retiring in the 2004-05 year, and are detailed in the table.
	The table details the number of people retiring in 2004-05, gaining a full retirement pension, having had full years national insurance credits in each qualifying year as a result of claiming incapacity benefit.
	
		
			  Number of people retiring in 2004-05 gaining a full retirement pension having had national insurance credits as a result of claiming incapacity benefit 
			  Number of years of credits as a result of claiming incapacity benefit  Number retiring in 2004-05 with full retirement pension 
			 1 to 5 13,300 
			 6 to 10 36,300 
			 11 to 15 0 
			 Total 49,600 
			  Source: DWP Information Directorate: Lifetime Labour Market Database 1 per cent. sample of the National Insurance Recording System.

Personal Accounts

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many participants in qualitative work sponsored by his Department mentioned during his Department's survey work on the proposed personal accounts an interest in investing in social, ethical or environmental funds  (a) spontaneously and  (b) after prompting.

James Purnell: In early 2006, the Department carried out in-depth qualitative research on public attitudes to personal accounts(1). Some of the younger participants in this research (aged 20 to 34) spontaneously said that they felt it was important that they are able to invest their money ethically. Respondents were not specifically prompted about whether they were interested in investing in social, ethical or environmental funds. Qualitative research identifies the range of views and experiences people hold and provides insight into attitudes and beliefs. It does not provide statistics, so it is not valid to give numbers of participants who expressed a particular view.
	(1) This research was published in the Department's research report series; Hall S, Pettigrew N and Harvey P, 2006, Public attitudes to personal accounts: Report of a qualitative study, DWP Research Report No. 370

Personal Income

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answers of  (a) 5 June 2007,  Official Report, column 350W, on low incomes and  (b) 10 May 2007,  Official Report, column 465W, on personal income, if he will place in the Library the datasets corresponding to the Households Below Average Incomeincome distribution graphs, figures 2.1, 4.1, 5.1 and 6.1.

Jim Murphy: Specific information regarding low income for the United Kingdom is available in Households Below Average Income 1994/95-2005/06 (Revised). The report uses 60 per cent. of median income as the low income threshold. This threshold is the internationally recognised measure of poverty.
	The information requested has been placed in the House of Commons Library.
	The figures are based on OECD equalisation factors and will therefore not be on the same basis as any figures that were based on McClements equalisation factors.

Personal Savings

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in what terms the proposed 10,000 limit on contributions to personal accounts in their first year of operation is expressed.

James Purnell: On 14 June 2007 the Government published their response to the consultation on the White Paper Personal Accounts: a new way to save. This put forward a proposal for a 10,000 limit on contributions in the first year of the personal accounts scheme in order to encourage saving prior to the introduction of personal accounts in 2012. However, we will continue to work with others across Government, the financial industry and consumer representatives to explore how we can best encourage people to save prior to 2012.

Personal Savings

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the proportion of the 5.7 million employees identified on page 94 of the regulatory impact assessment to Personal Accounts: a new way to save as being offered contributions greater than 6 per cent. who are  (a) non-members of these schemes but eligible to join and  (b) non-members of the schemes who are not currently eligible to join.

James Purnell: The data requested are not available.

Personal Savings

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in what terms the 5,000 annual limit on contributions proposed in Personal Accounts: A New Way to Save is expressed.

James Purnell: The personal accounts White Paper A New Way to Save consulted on an annual contribution limit of 5,000. The summary of responses, published on 14 June 2007, contains detail on both the level of the limit and also how it is to be designed. After further analysis, the Government believe that a contribution limit of 3,600 balances the need to focus personal accounts on the target market and the need to allow individuals to save flexibly for their retirement.

Remploy: Contracts

James McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many contracts have been awarded under the Public Procurement Regulations 2006 to  (a) Remploy and  (b) other supported employers.

Anne McGuire: The Department has not awarded any new contracts to  (a) Remploy and  (b) other supported employers under the Public Procurement Regulations 2006.
	The Department has not entered into any new contracts since the 2006 regulations, with either Remploy or other supported employers but we have extended Remploy's two existing contracts twice from April 2006 to March 2007 and from April 2007 to March 2008. They were also successful in a recent limited competition in winning extra NDDP business (volumes) within their existing contracts.

Sea Containers: Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to ensure that Sea Containers, based in Bermuda, properly funds its UK-based pension schemes; and if he will make a statement.

James Purnell: This is a matter for the Pensions Regulator.
	I understand that following an oral hearing before the Pension Regulator's Determinations Panel on 12 and 13 June 2007, the panel determined that a financial support direction should be issued requiring Sea Containers Ltd. to put in place financial support for the two pension schemes of its UK based subsidiary. This is the first time that the Regulator has used its financial support powers which were introduced in the Pensions Act 2004 to ensure that, when it is reasonable, companies cannot leave a pension scheme with a service company or weak member of the group without guaranteeing the pension promise.
	The Financial Support Direction will come into effect 28 days from the date of the determination notice or, if an appeal is made to the Pensions Regulator Tribunal, from the date of determination of that appeal. Any person that appears to be directly affected by the determination may appeal to the Pensions Regulator Tribunal within 28 days of the determination notice being issued.

Self-Employed: Disabled

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what training is available to disabled people in receipt of incapacity benefit wishing to become self-employed.

Jim Murphy: We already have powers to offer training to disabled people in receipt of incapacity benefit through New Deal for Disabled People and Pathways to Work. Pathways to Work will be rolled out nationally by April 2008, primarily via the private and voluntary sectors in 60 per cent. of the country. Contracts will not specify exactly what programme of support should be available, enabling providers to offer innovative work-focused support which is tailored to the needs of individual customers and could potentially include self employment training.
	Further assistance may also be available from Jobcentre Plus, which offers a wide range of practical and financial help to assist customers, such as career development loans. Specially trained personal advisers are available to discuss with customers any barrier that is preventing them from starting self-employment. They also provide a booklet 'Work For Yourself' which gives advice and information on starting a small business or arranging a franchise.
	They are also able to give advise on further sources of support; including The Prince's Trust, Business Link, Training for Work in Scotland and Work Based Learning in Wales.
	In addition, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) offers a wide range of small business support information and packages, including a small suite of grants, loans guarantees and subsidised consultancy to address a range of business issues. They also have information about finance and grants for starting up and developing a small business and can provide practical support for the key stages of innovation or research and development and helps businesses to become more efficient, competitive and profitable.

Severe Disablement Allowance

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are in receipt of severe disability allowances; and what expenses such allowances are intended to cover.

Anne McGuire: At November 2006, there were 2,845,750 disability living allowance (DLA) cases in payment and 1,679,360 people entitled to attendance allowance, which includes those who have had payment of their benefit suspended, for example because they were in hospital.
	DLA and AA are the main benefits paid by this Department to people with severe disabilities. These benefits are intended to provide a contribution towards the general extra costs faced by severely disabled people as a result of their disabilities, allowing recipients to use the benefit according to their own priorities.

Severe Disablement Allowance: Eligibility

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what criteria his Department uses to determine severe disablement; and what definition of severe disablement is used.

Anne McGuire: The Department does not use one specific definition to determine severe disability. A range of benefits are available to people with disabilities, and definitions of disability are dependent on the benefit being claimed and reflect the purpose of that benefit.

Social Security Benefits: Disabled People

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how benefits for disabled people are adjusted to take into account increases in the cost of living; and whether such adjustments reflect increases in the cost of fuel and its impact upon heating costs.

Anne McGuire: Benefits such as disability living allowance and attendance allowance are increased every April by the rate of inflation as measured by the movement in the retail prices index (RPI). In calculating the RPI, account is taken of price changes in a wide range of goods and services, which includes the cost of fuel and heating.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the cost of the most expensive organised fraud against the benefit system since 1 May 1997; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The information is not available.

Social Security Benefits: Overpayments

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will publish his Department's rules for deciding whether overpaid benefits should be recovered from claimants where the overpayment has resulted from departmental error, including staff error; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: Where someone receives public money to which they are not entitled we have a duty to seek recovery, even if the overpayment was caused by an official error. I have arranged for the relevant guidance to be placed in the Library.

State Retirement Pension: National Insurance Contributions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the total net cost of bringing forward the new rules for the number of years of national insurance required to qualify for a full basic state pension from April 2010 to  (a) April 2001,  (b) April 2005,  (c) April 2006 and  (d) April 2007 in each year from 2001 to 2030; how many additional people in each year would receive a full basic state pension as a result; and if he will make a statement.

James Purnell: The information requested is not currently available. However, the estimated net costs of bringing forward the new rules for the number of years of national insurance required to qualify for a full basic state pension from 2008 are given as follows.
	
		
			   Net cost ( million) 
			 2008 50 
			 2009 140 
			 2010 170 
			 2011 170 
			 2012 170 
			 2013 160 
			 2014 160 
			 2015 150 
			 2016 150 
			 2017 140 
			 2018 140 
			 2019 130 
			 2020 130 
			 2021 120 
			 2022 120 
			 2023 120 
			 2024 110 
			 2025 110 
			 2026 100 
			 2027 90 
			 2028 80 
			 2029 80 
			 2030 70 
			  Notes: 1. Estimates in 2007-08 prices, UK and overseas. 2. Estimates rounded to the nearest 10 million. 3. Estimates are net of savings in income related benefits but do not include any savings from tax increases. 
		
	
	
		
			  Estimated additional beneficiaries in Great Britain of a full basic state pension 
			   2008  2009 
			 Men 25,000 25,000 
			 Women 75,000 70,000 
			 Total 100,000 95,000

State Retirement Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assumptions the Government has made in its costings of a Universal Enhanced State Pension, with offsetting of accrued rights to the State Earnings Related Pension and the State Second Pension, in respect of the relationship between the level of pensions paid to single pensioners and couples; and if he will make a statement.

James Purnell: The proposal for a Universal Enhanced State Pension was made by the Pensions Commission. The costs and assumptions behind it are set out in the Commission's Second Report A New Pension Settlement for the Twenty-First Century.

Unemployment Benefits: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent on benefits for unemployed people in Warrington  (a) for the year ending March 1997 and  (b) in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by type of benefit.

James Plaskitt: The information requested is in the following table.
	
		
			  Spend on benefits for unemployed people in Warrington. (Warrington, North and Warrington, South parliamentary constituencies) 
			   million 
			   1996-97  2006-07 
			 Jobseeker's Allowance (Income based) 3.5 4.7 
			 Jobseeker's Allowance (Contribution based) 1.0 2.0 
			 Unemployed Benefit 1.2  
			 Income Support for the unemployed 4.9  
			  Notes: 1. Figures are in cash terms and are rounded to the nearest 100,000. 2. Figures are consistent with Budget 2007. 3. Unemployed Benefit and Income Support for the unemployed were benefits prior to Jobseeker's Allowance which were paid in 1996-97 along with Jobseeker's Allowance which was introduced in October 1996. 4. Figures are based on 5 per cent. samples and are therefore subject to sampling variation. S ource: Information Directorate, 5 per cent. samples and DWP Expenditure tables

Winter Fuel Payments: Disabled People

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what consideration his Department has given to the extension of the winter fuel allowance to disabled people.

James Purnell: We have no plans extend winter fuel payments to disabled people aged under 60. Help is already available through disability benefits and the disability premium in income-related benefits in recognition of the extra costs, including heating, which disabled people may have.

Written Questions

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects to answer Question  (a) 122108 and  (b) 122109, tabled for answer on 22 February 2007 by the right hon. Member for Birkenhead, on 18 to 24 year olds who are not in employment, education or training.

Jim Murphy: holding answer 19 March 2007
	Replies were given to my right hon. Friend's question number 122108 on 3 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1830W and to question number 122109 on 21 June 2007,  Official Report, column 2248W.

Written Questions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he will answer Question  (a) 138125, tabled on 15 May 2007, on Pension Credit,  (b) 121447, tabled on 8 February 2007, on the Financial Assistance Scheme,  (c) 102309, tabled on 20 November 2006, on council tax and  (d) 102211, tabled on 17 November 2006, on Incapacity Benefit, by the hon. Member for Yeovil.

James Plaskitt: The hon. Member's question 138125 was replied to on 19 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1742W. Question 121447 was replied to today, 25 June 2007. Question 102309 was transferred to the Department for Communities and Local Government and question 102211 was transferred to HM Treasury.

TRANSPORT

A21: Construction

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made on the construction of the A21 upgrade between Flimwell and Hurst Green; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The Highways Agency has no plans at present to upgrade the A21 between Flimwell and Hurst Green.

A21: Construction

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what funding his Department has provided for the construction of the A21 upgrade between Flimwell and Hurst Green.

Gillian Merron: None. The proposed A21 upgrade between Flimwell and Hurst Green has not been prioritised by the South East region as part of its advice to Ministers on projects to be funded by the Regional Funding Allocation for the period up to 2016.

A38: Safety Measures

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make changes to the slip road off the A38 at Lee Mill as a matter of urgency to reduce the risk of motorists entering it from the wrong direction.

Stephen Ladyman: The layout of the road at this junction is designed to discourage road users from entering from the wrong direction. In view of the recent fatal accident that has taken place on the A38 near this junction, the Highways Agency wish to review the outcome of police investigations and consider whether further enhancements to the road layout are necessary.

A38: Safety Measures

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to ensure greater safety at the Deep Lane junction at Plymouth on the A38.

Stephen Ladyman: Site work is currently under way to improve the capacity and safety of Deep Lane junction. As a result of identifying an increased accident rate, a safety study is also to be carried out at the westbound on-slip road. In addition, major improvements to the junction are proposed which will accommodate a growth in demand from nearby developments.

A38: Safety Measures

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to assess the safety of the informal junctions on the A38 at Lyneham, Cadleigh and Choakford as a matter of urgency.

Stephen Ladyman: These junctions currently serve small local communities and have a relatively good safety record. They will continue to be monitored closely and action taken as necessary. Closure of the eastbound on-slip at Lyneham (Voss Farm) is imminent in order to prevent use by construction vehicles from Langage Power Station.

Aviation

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the number of people who took  (a) no,  (b) one,  (c) two,  (d) three or four and  (e) five or more single or return flights (i) in total, (ii) to UK destinations, (iii) to European destinations and (iv) to worldwide destinations in the last 12 months, broken down by (A) income quintile and (B) classification of residential neighbourhoods.

Gillian Merron: The following table shows the number of flights in percentage terms taken by adults in Great Britain during the last 12 months (2006). Data are not available by income quintile, but in five broad bands as shown as follows.
	Data are not available by destination or broken down by classification of residential neighbourhoods.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   Household income group  
			  Number of flights in last 12 months  Under 10,000  10,000 but under 20,000  20,000 but under 29,000  29,000 but under 44,000  44,000 or more  All respondents 
			 None 75 56 44 35 19 45 
			 One 12 20 25 23 17 19 
			 Two 6 14 17 20 21 16 
			 Three or four 4 6 11 13 19 11 
			 Five or more 2 4 4 10 23 9 
			  100 100 100 100 100 100 
			
			 Sample size 583 662 462 512 546 3219 
			  Source: 2006 British Social Attitudes Survey conducted by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen). The 2006 results are not yet published by NatCen.

Aviation: Accidents

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many accidents involving  (a) large aircraft,  (b) light aircraft,  (c) ultralight aircraft and  (d) helicopters occurred in England and Wales in each of the last five years.

Gillian Merron: The number of reportable accidents occurring within the London Flight Information Region of the UK, which equates approximately to England and Wales, for each of the last five years is set out as follows. The number of those accidents which involved fatalities is shown in brackets.
	
		
			   Large aeroplanes (above 5,700  kg)  Light aeroplanes (5,700  kg and below)  Microlights  Helicopters 
			 2002 15 (1) 145 (4) 13 (1) 23 (2) 
			 2003 16 (0) 159 (6) 25 (2) 23 (3) 
			 2004 12 (0) 117 (7) 22 (3) 16 (3) 
			 2005 13 (0) 137 (11) 22 (2) 14 (1) 
			 2006 11 (0) 142 (6) 30 (2) 22 (1)

Aviation: Baggage

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  if he will take steps to transfer responsibility for setting allowances for the number and weight of passenger hand baggage to airports and airlines;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with airlines on the current hand baggage restrictions in the last three months; and if he will publish the minutes of such meetings;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the impact of the hand baggage regulations on the airline industry;
	(4)  what discussions he has had with airports and airlines on the  (a) implementation of,  (b) amendments to and  (c) alleviation of the current restrictions on the number of pieces of hand baggage allowed per passenger in the last three months.

Gillian Merron: The one cabin bag per passenger is part of a package of measures to manage the current very real threat to aviation in the UK. The resulting reduction in the number of x-ray images per passenger ensures that the security checks are undertaken to the highest possible standard. The current security regulations are kept under constant review; and we have made clear throughout our readiness to remove the one bag limit once industrycollectivelyis confident of its ability to deliver security effectively without it.
	The Secretary of State and officials have discussed the current cabin baggage restrictions with industry representatives at formal meetings such as the National Aviation Security Committee, and also during informal discussions with airline and airport operators. Since security measures are discussed, minutes of meetings are classified Restricted, and it would not be appropriate to publish them.

Aviation: Baggage

David Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the reasons are for the different hand baggage allowance for passengers leaving the UK and passengers arriving in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The Department has currently placed a limit of one cabin bag per passenger in order to manage the current threat to aviation in the UK, which is higher than for most other countries. The resulting reduction in the number of x-ray images per passenger ensures that the security checks are undertaken to the highest possible standard. This measure has not been adopted by other states.
	The Department has invited industry to put forward proposals to facilitate the screening of more than one bag per passenger, while still delivering effective security.

Aviation: EU Emissions Trading Scheme

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether it is the Government's policy to support the inclusion of EU aviation within the Emissions Trading Scheme.

Gillian Merron: The UK has taken the lead in securing aviation's inclusion into the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. This is in line with the Government's plans to tackle aviation's climate change impacts as set out in The Future of Air Transport White Paper.

Aviation: Exhaust Emissions

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of greenhouse gas emissions he expects air travel to represent in the next 20 years.

Gillian Merron: Estimates of aviation emissions in 2030 were provided in Aviation and Global Warming published by the Department for Transport in 2004 and are available on the Department's website at:
	www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft-aviation/documents/page/dft-aviation-031850.pdf.

Aviation: Fuels

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the aviation industry's progress towards its aim of improving fuel efficiency by 50 per cent. from 2000 to 2020.

Gillian Merron: The aviation industry's sustainable aviation progress report 2006 available at www.sustainableaviation.co.uk includes information on progress towards this goal set by the Advisory Council on Aeronautics Research in Europe (ACARE).

Aviation: Fuels

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what change there was in the aviation industry's fuel efficiency per seat between 2000 and 2005; and what assessment he has made of the implications of this trend for the possibility of meeting future targets.

Gillian Merron: The Government do not collect this information. The aviation industry's Sustainable Aviation Progress Report 2006 available at www.sustainableaviation.co.uk includes a graph setting out aggregated airline fuel efficiency in litres per revenue tonne kilometre between 2000 and 2005.

Bus Services: Concessions

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions his Department has had with  (a) the Scottish Executive,  (b) the Welsh Assembly Government and  (c) other interested and relevant parties to discuss the mutual cross-border recognition of concessionary bus passes.

Gillian Merron: The Concessionary Bus Travel Bill, currently before Parliament, contains a power to allow, via future regulations, for mutual recognition of bus passes across the UK. The Department had initial discussions with the Devolved Administrations about the proposal and all indicated support for including the power in the Bill. However, they also acknowledged that we would need to discuss it further and work together to resolve the various technical and resource issues before mutual recognition could be pursued in practice.
	The issue of mutual recognition of passes within the UK has also been discussed at meetings of both the Department's Concessionary Fares Working Group and the Concessionary Fares Stakeholder Users' Group.
	Local authorities in England already have the flexibilitywhich the Bill does not changeto offer more than the statutory concession to their residents, taking into account local circumstances, for example, free travel in the vicinity of the local authority, which could include, across borders.

Cycling: Hampshire

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how many cycle routes or paths are available in  (a) Portsmouth,  (b) Southampton and  (c) Hampshire; what their total length is; and what targets there are for future provision;
	(2)  how much was spent on the  (a) provision and  (b) maintenance of dedicated cycle routes or paths in (i) Hampshire, (ii) Southampton and (iii) Portsmouth in each of the last three years; and how much he expects will be spent in each of the next three years.

Tom Harris: Provision of cycling facilities is the responsibility of the Local Highway Authority and their strategy for cycling provision is set out in their Local Transport Plan (LTP).
	Published figures for cycling facilities in the LTP and associated documents are not available in the form requested, but are expressed in the following table. Future spend on provision and maintenance is not sufficiently detailed to give a cycle only perspective.
	
		
			   2003 - 04  2004 - 05  2005 - 06 
			  Portsmouth
			 Number of cycle tracks/lanes(1) 8 7 9 
			 Length by km 3 4 5 
			 Expenditure on cycle schemes (000) 45 37 70 
			 
			  Southampton
			 Number of cycle tracks/lanes(1) 6 33 11 
			 Length by km 5 6 5 
			 Expenditure on cycle schemes (000) 305 244 250 
			 
			  Hampshire
			 Number of cycle tracks/lanes(1) 12 4 6 
			 Length by km 7 3 8 
			 Expenditure on cycle schemes (Cycle tracks or lanes only) (000) 452 548 380 
			 (1 )Includes new schemes and improvements or extensions to existing.

Cycling: Helmets

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate his Department has made of the number of cycling fatalities which would have been avoided in each of the last five years if a helmet had been worn by the cyclist.

Stephen Ladyman: No such estimate has been made by the Department, however the evidence indicates that cycle helmets provide protective benefits in the event of a collision and therefore prevent and reduce injuries. Research suggests that between one third and one half of pedal cycle casualties attending hospital sustained an injury to the head or face (see DFT Road Safety Research Report No. 30, a copy of which is in the House Library).

Cycling: Safety Measures

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is on dropped  (a) kerbs and  (b) central refuges to accommodate cyclists.

Gillian Merron: Policy on dropped kerbs and central refuges for cyclists is contained in the Department's publication Cycle Friendly Infrastructure, copies of which have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Cycling: Safety Measures

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with the Highways Agency on the provision of dropped  (a) kerbs and  (b) central refuges to accommodate cyclists; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: Although there have been no recent discussions with the HA, dropped kerbs and central refuges for cyclists are routinely delivered as part of the Highways Agency's programme of smaller scheme improvement works. Within the current spending review (CSR042005-06 to 2007-08) some 300 million has been allocated towards making better use of the network including measures to improve accessibility such as cycle provision.

Cycling: Standards

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many cycling proficiency tests were  (a) taken and  (b) passed in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority.

Tom Harris: The Department does not hold this information. Local authorities in England deliver a range of types of cycle training including Bikeability and other, less comprehensive, training such as the cycling proficiency test. Approximately a third of Year 6 pupils receive cycle training.
	The Department has worked with over 20 organisations including local authorities, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents and the CTC to develop a new national cycle training Standard to update the old style cycling proficiency test to provide the on-road skills needed to handle modern traffic conditions. In March, we launched Bikeabilitythe award scheme for cyclists in England trained to the new standard. During the six month pilot phase, 5,000 children completed Bikeability training up to level 2: the level required to enable most children to cycle to school.
	We are encouraging local authorities to deliver Bikeability training and have grants available to help both instructors with the cost of being trained to deliver Bikeability and local authorities to adopt national standards. Grants totalling 1.25 million have also been made available this year to local authorities in England to provide additional training places.

Dartford Tunnel

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport from which local authority areas the largest number of responses came to his Department's recent consultation on changes to charges at the Dartford crossing.

Stephen Ladyman: The largest number of consultation responses from which an address could be identified were from the Dartford and Thurrock areas.

Departments: British Airports Authority

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff his Department employs who previously worked for BAA; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The Department does not keep this information in a form that can be accessed without disproportionate costs being incurred.

Departments: British Airports Authority

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many of his Department's employees left the Department to take up employment by BAA in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The Department does not record this information in a form that can be accessed without disproportionate costs being incurred.

Departments: British Airports Authority

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many of his Department's staff are seconded to BAA; how many were seconded in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The Department has no staff currently seconded to BAA. One member of staff was seconded to BAA in 2005.

Departments: Credit Cards

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was spent by staff in his Department via departmental  (a) credit,  (b) procurement and  (c) fuel cards in each of the last three years.

Gillian Merron: The following table shows the total spend by staff in the Department via credit, procurement and fuel cards during the last three complete financial years.
	
		
			   Total spend 
			  Type of card  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Credit 0 0 0 
			 ProcurementGPC and corporate card 5,508,294 7,241,140 12,334,227 
			 Fuel card 856,468 1,935,628 3,853,181 
			 Total 6,364,762 9,176,768 16,187,408 
		
	
	The procurement card figure includes spend using the Government procurement card (GPC) for purchasing low value goods and services and corporate cards for some official travel and related expenditure, issued under the umbrella of the OGC buying solutions pre-tendered national framework contract. The Department does not issue official credit cards.

Departments: Foreign Relations

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many Memoranda of Understanding are in force as a result of agreements with foreign Governments entered into by Ministers in his Department; and what executive actions each entails.

Stephen Ladyman: Records of Memoranda of Understanding are not held centrally in the Department and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Legal Costs

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was spent by his Department on legal fees in each of the last five years.

Gillian Merron: In each of the past five years the Department for Transport has spent the following on legal fees:
	
		
			
			 2002-03 451,466 
			 2003-04 2,718,545 
			 2004-05 3,793,752 
			 2005-06 3,030,728 
			 2006-07 3,143,937 
			  Notes: 1. In the year 2002, Legal Services Directorate was part of both DfT and ODPM (now DCLG). 2. The Driving Standards Agency can only provide answers from 2003. 3. The Vehicle Certification Agency has a nil return within UK. In respect of its overseas offices it is less than 2,000 per annum over the last five years. 4. The Government Car and Despatch Agency accounting practices do not record legal costs arising from work carried out by Treasury Solicitors and private practice separately.

Departments: Northern Ireland

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place in the Library a copy of the concordat governing the relationship between his Department and the Northern Ireland Administration.

Gillian Merron: The Department does not currently have a Concordat with the Northern Ireland Executive but will work with colleagues in the Devolved Administration in Northern Ireland to develop one. A copy will be laid in the House when this has been done.
	The principles set out in the Memorandum of Understanding and Supplementary Agreements between the UK Government, Scottish Ministers, the Cabinet of the National Assembly for Wales and the Northern Ireland Executive, published in 2001, continue to underpin our working relationship with the Northern Ireland Executive.

Departments: Older Workers

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what percentage of staff in his Department were over 60 years of age in each of the last three years.

Gillian Merron: The figures requested are as follows:
	
		
			   Percentage 
			 2005 5.1 
			 2006 5.0 
			 2007 5.4

Departments: Older Workers

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people aged  (a) over 55 years of age and  (b) over 60 years of age have been recruited by his Department in each of the last three years; and what percentage in each case this is of the number of new recruits in each year.

Gillian Merron: The following table provides details of responses from DfT and its agencies to the request for information.
	
		
			   Number over 55  Percentage new recruits  Number over 60  Percentage new recruits  Total new recruits 
			 2004-05 155 8.5 68 3.75 1,818 
			 2005-06 227 8.9 82 3.2 2,565 
			 2006-07 109 6.3 35 2.0 1,729

Departments: Private Finance Initiative

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the value is of the unitary payments of each private finance initiative scheme overseen by his Department over the lifetime of the contract expressed in 2007-08 prices and discounted to present value.

Gillian Merron: HM Treasury website provides updated details (on a six-monthly basis) of unitary payments on PFI projects overseen by the Department for Transport. This information is available at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/documents/public_private_partnerships/ppp_pfi_stats.cfm
	The unitary payments are based on outturn prices. On average, the appropriate real discount rate for deriving the present value would be 3.5 per cent., as set out in the Treasury Green Book.
	The forecasts of future payments are subject to the performance of the private sector contractors.
	The unitary payments represent repayments for the capital value (sum of the capital spend) of the project and will also frequently include inflation, service provision, capital repayments and major refurbishments.

Departments: Public Participation

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many public consultations his Department undertook in the last 12 months; and what the cost was of each consultation.

Gillian Merron: Department and its Agencies published 71 consultations in the 12 month period to the end of May 2007.
	They are available on our website
	http://www.dft.gov.uk.
	The Department regularly consults key stakeholders on a less formal basis through meetings or seminars to help inform policy development.
	Information on the cost of each consultation and the total cost of all consultations could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Surveys

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff surveys his Department undertook in the last 12 months; and at what total cost.

Gillian Merron: The Department for Transport including its Executive Agencies conducted eight staff surveys in the last 12 months at a total cost of 275,922.26.

Driving Offences: Insurance

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what steps he  (a) has taken and  (b) plans to take to encourage young drivers who are driving without insurance to take out an insurance policy;
	(2)  what plans he has to raise awareness of the requirement for third party insurance and the consequences of not obtaining insurance.

Stephen Ladyman: The requirements for motor insurance are given in the Highway Code and all new and young drivers should be aware of this. Separately the Department has a section on the Direct.Gov website detailing among other things the motor insurance requirements and the consequences of uninsured driving.
	At the end of 2005 the police were given new powers to seize vehicles being driven uninsured. Additionally the Road Safety Act 2006 provides for the introduction of a new scheme of continuous insurance enforcement which is planned for 2008.
	The Department is planning a publicity and awareness campaign to ensure that all drivers, including young drivers, are fully aware of the requirements, the risks and the consequences of driving uninsured, and are encouraged to take out a policy of motor insurance. It is intended that this campaign will commence shortly before the proposed scheme of continuous insurance enforcement is commenced so that programme can include details of this scheme.

Driving Offences: Insurance

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to review the penalties available to magistrates in dealing with uninsured drivers.

Stephen Ladyman: The range of penalties open to magistrates when dealing with uninsured driving offences are already extensive, ranging from a fine at up to 5,000 and an obligatory requirement for 6 to 8 points on an offenders driving licence. In addition the police now have powers to seize and dispose of any vehicles being found driven uninsured. Separately the Road Safety Act 2006 provided for a scheme of continuous insurance enforcement with significant penalties, including seizure of vehicles being used uninsured. The Department is currently preparing detailed implementation plans for this scheme. Once this scheme is operational we will be reviewing the full range of penalties and sanctions available to tackle uninsured driving, and to see what further actions might be needed.

Driving Offences: Insurance

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he has taken to address the issue of uninsured driving by eliminating abuse of the current practice of allowing a 14 day grace period for renewal of car insurance policy after the policy lapses.

Stephen Ladyman: All motorists have at all times had to have a current policy of motor insurance covering their use of a motor vehicle. The practice of allowing a 14 day grace period to renew a lapsed motor insurance policy was an insurance industry practice. The Department has been assured that industry has taken steps to ensure that this practice is discontinued.

Driving Offences: Insurance

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to introduce school-based programmes highlighting the risk of uninsured driving.

Stephen Ladyman: A publicity and awareness campaign is being planned to ensure that all drivers, including young drivers, are fully aware of the requirements, the risks and the consequences of driving uninsured, and are encouraged to take out a policy of motor insurance. It is our intention that this campaign will commence shortly before the scheme of continuous insurance enforcement, powers for which were granted in the Road Safety Act 2006, is commenced so that the campaign can include details of this scheme. We will be considering all opportunities and channels, including school based programmes, to ensure a fully effective campaign.

Driving Under Influence

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the likely effect on the number of drivers per year convicted for drink-driving of the introduction of a statutory blood alcohol limit of 50 milligrammes per 100 millilitres of blood;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the timetable for implementation of a statutory blood alcohol level for drivers reduced from the current maximum to 50 milligrammes;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the annual cost of implementing a statutory blood alcohol level for drivers of 50 milligrammes;
	(4)  what assessment he has made of the  (a) costs and  (b) benefits of reducing the permitted blood alcohol level from the current statutory level to 50 milligrammes.

Stephen Ladyman: Any limit is aimed primarily at persuading people not to drink and drive in the first place, rather than at a target for convictions, and so no specific assessment has been made of the effect of a 50mg legal limit on drink driving convictions. A change in the legal limit would require public consultation and the making of a statutory instrument subject to negative resolution procedure.
	Such a statutory instrument would require an impact assessment, which would include an assessment of the likely cost impact of a lower limit. An assessment of the estimated effect on road traffic casualties of lowering the legal alcohol limit was made in the Department's consultation paper Combating Drink Driving: Next Steps (February 1998), a copy of which is in the Library of the House.

Government Car and Dispatch Agency: Motor Vehicles

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how many vehicles are owned by the Government Car and Dispatch Agency, broken down by vehicle excise duty band;
	(2)  what percentage of vehicles in use by the Government Car and Dispatch Agency fall into each vehicle excise duty band.

Stephen Ladyman: The vehicles in use by the Government Car and Despatch Agency and their vehicle excise duty bands are as follows:
	
		
			  Vehicle excise duty ba nd  Number in GCDA fleet  Percentage of GCDA fleet 
			 Band B 98 40 
			 Band C 5 2 
			 Band F 86 35 
			 Band G 3 1 
			 Light Goods Vehicles 45 19 
			 Registered before 1 March 2001 6 2

Lorries

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the increase in expected wear rate of an  (a) A class road and  (b) motorway is for an additional traffic volume per day of (i) 400, (ii) 600, (iii) 800, and (iv) 1,000 heavy goods vehicle movements.

Stephen Ladyman: The increases in heavy vehicle flow referred to are unlikely to have significant effects on structural or surface wear rates for A class roads and motorways designed in accordance with the Highways Agency's standards.

Lorries: Noise

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate the change in noise level adjacent to an  (a) A class road and  (b) motorway arising from an additional traffic volume per day of (i) 400, (ii) 600, (iii) 800 and (iv) 1,000 heavy goods vehicle movements.

Stephen Ladyman: The method used in the UK for calculating road traffic noise requires a baseline volume of traffic. The change in road traffic noise, including from heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), is calculated from the change in the baseline traffic level. A change in traffic noise level cannot be calculated with only absolute increases in traffic volumes.
	If all the other factors that influence road traffic noise remained unchanged, a 10 per cent. change in HGVs is approximately equivalent to a one decibel noise change.

Lorries: Tolls

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was spent developing the lorry road user charge before it was integrated into the National Road Pricing scheme.

John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
	Total expenditure on the lorry road user charge from May 2002 until its integration into the National Road Pricing scheme was 65.4 million.

Merchant Shipping: Oil

David Mundell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the Government have the power under merchant shipping legislation to block ship-to-ship oil transfers; and what the Government's response is to the environmental and public concern raised on the proposal for ship-to-ship oil transfer in the Firth of Forth.

Stephen Ladyman: Currently, it is not for the Secretary of State to decide whether ship-to-ship transfers in a harbour authority area may or may not take place.
	However, Forth Ports, as the statutory harbour authority for the Firth of Forth has public duties to which it must have regard when exercising its functions. These include Forth Ports' role as a competent authority under the European Community's Habitats Directive in relation to decisions on whether or not to authorise the proposed ship-to-ship transfers in the Firth of Forth.
	Nevertheless, it is understood that the Scottish Executive is intending to introduce a new control on harbour authorities in Scotland and that this control would be achieved through a Scotland-only amendment to Part IV of the Habitats Regulations. The introduction of this control is intended to address local concerns about the situation in the Firth of Forth.
	The UK Government are considering making regulations under section 130 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995 to regulate ship-to-ship transfer of oil carried as cargo in those areas within the 12 nautical mile limit of the UK's territorial sea where there is a higher risk because there is not an appropriate oil spill contingency plan prepared under the Merchant Shipping (Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation Convention) Regulations 1998.
	Nonetheless, the Department is closely monitoring the views expressed concerning the proposal for ship-to-ship transfers of oil in the Firth of Forth.

Ministers: Official Cars

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 11 June 2007,  Official Report, column 727W, on Ministers: official cars, how many cars are allocated to Ministers in each Government Department, broken down by  (a) Minister and  (b) car model given in the answer.

Stephen Ladyman: The information requested in respect of the number of cars allocated to Departments is currently being collated and will be published in the coming weeks.

Motor Vehicles: Cherished Number Plates

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport why a vehicle inspection is required for a vehicle over 15 years old before a cherished number plate transfer can take place.

Stephen Ladyman: The instruction to inspect all vehicles over 15 years old from date of manufacture/first registration whichever is earlier, was issued by the DVLA after a review of cherished transfer and retention applications. Vehicles over 15 years old were identified as being in a 'higher risk' category for fraudulent applications. A subsequent review of this instruction reveals it's introduction as effective, as applicants are now aware that vehicles will be called for inspection to ensure that the vehicle exists.

Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the full emissions profile per mile is, both laden and unladen, for  (a) 38 tonne heavy goods vehicle (HGV),  (b) 44 tonne HGVs,  (c) transit type vans and  (d) family saloons.

Stephen Ladyman: Vehicle emissions vary significantly depending on the exact operating conditions. In the case of local pollutants, emissions depend greatly on the age of the vehicle and hence the emissions standards it was designed to meet. The following data are based on the vehicle emissions factors used in the National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory which are derived from Department for Transport (and other) vehicle emissions test data. The figures quoted relate to average emissions over all UK roads for the year 2005 fleet. Emissions may be significantly different for specific sections of road and will decrease for subsequent years as vehicles meeting the latest emissions standards enter the fleet.
	
		
			   g/km 
			  Vehicle type  NOx  PM 10  CO  HC  CO 2 
			 Petrol Passenger Car 0.31 0.0029 1.1 0.08 186 
			 Diesel Passenger Car 0.57 0.049 0.11 0.04 178 
			 Diesel Light Goods Vehicle 0.87 0.14 0.46 0.10 291 
			 Articulated HGV 10.6 0.26 2.1 0.92 1677 
		
	
	The emissions factors underlying the aforementioned data are based on testing up to the year 2001. The Department is in the process of updating these factors based on new test data accumulated over the last five years.
	The aforementioned data represent vehicles at typical load conditions. The Department does not hold data on the unladen and fully laden emissions of vehicles or the relative emissions of articulated HGVs of different gross vehicle weights. However, we are conducting research on the impacts of payload on fuel consumption and hence CO2 emissions. Preliminary results from this work suggest a reduction of 0.112 miles per gallon per tonne of payload. This equates to in the region of a 1.1 per cent. increase in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions per tonne.

Motor Vehicles: Insurance

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he plans to set a target of having real time data entry in the Motor Insurance Database of insurance polices by the end of 2008.

Stephen Ladyman: There are continuing discussions with the Insurance industry on the targets for updating the Motor Insurance Database (MID), but there is no current plan to set a target of the end of 2008 for real time data entry to the MID.

Motor Vehicles: Insurance

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department has met the recommended target date set by the Greenaway report for reducing the permitted interval between an insurance policy being issued and details uploaded in the Motor Insurance Database from 14 days to seven days by the end of 2006.

Stephen Ladyman: The Motor Insurers' Bureau (MIB) (owned by the insurance industry) own and operate the Motor Insurance Database (MID). The latest figures for mid June indicate that 94.4 per cent. of all appropriate records are provided by the insurance industry to the MID within seven days which is in line with expectations to meet the new target date of January 2008 agreed with the Department.

Motor Vehicles: Insurance

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of motor insurance providers' capacity to comply with the requirements of rapid data entry to the Motor Insurance Database.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department receives regular reports from the Motor Insurers' Bureau (MIB) on the update status of the Motor Insurance Database (MID) and these show that insurers are achieving good results.
	The Department has made no recent assessment of insurers capacity to move to rapid or real time data entry for the MID. However the Department will continue to discuss improvements to the MID update targets with the Industry.

Motor Vehicles: Insurance

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he has taken to improve the recording of information by insurance providers on claims settled directly in connection with incidents involving uninsured drivers, as recommended by the Greenaway report.

Stephen Ladyman: The insurance industry has had extensive consultations on this recommendation. These have not yet resulted in a final solution and officials from the Department will be having further discussions with the industry with the intention of implementing this recommendation.

Motor Vehicles: Insurance

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will bring forward proposals for more severe penalties for insurance providers who do not comply with permitted interval period between an insurance policy being issued and details uploaded to the motor insurance database.

Stephen Ladyman: The Motor Insurer's Bureau (MIB) (owned by the insurance industry) own and operate the Motor Insurance Database (MID). There is a statutory requirement for all motor insurers to be members of the MIB and, as part of the requirements of membership, all motor insurers are required to meet the agreed targets for updating the MID. The MIB have the power to impose a penalty of up to 250,000 for non compliance. The insurance industry is currently achieving the standards agreed with this Department and consequently more severe penalties are not required.

Motor Vehicles: Insurance

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to require motor insurance providers to notify the motor insurance database and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency immediately of any insurance policy cancellation.

Stephen Ladyman: Motor insurers are required to notify the Motor Insurers' Bureau (MIB), who maintain and operate the Motor Insurance Database (MID) of all changes (including cancellations) to motor insurance policies. I have no intention to require insurers to also notify the DVLA as dual notification would not deliver any additional benefits but would introduce additional costs.

Motor Vehicles: Insurance

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will require every motor insurance policy issued to contain information on both the insured driver and the vehicle they are insured to drive.

Stephen Ladyman: Motor insurers are required to keep information about all vehicles insured under all motor insurance policies, and to supply such information to the Motor Insurers' Bureau (MIB). Motor insurers are also required to keep information about the persons, or classes of person, entitled to drive a vehicle under any particular policy. For most private policies the drivers are specified on the policy. However fleet policies often cover the use of many hundreds or thousands of vehicles and drivers and in these cases the policy merely specifies a class of driver, for example, any authorised employee. Any requirement for insurers and others to record by individual name all drivers covered by a large fleet policy, and to process all changes to the lists of authorised drivers, would potentially be a large and onerous administrative burden which would have limited value to the enforcement authorities. It is not proposed to change the current arrangements, at the present time.

Motor Vehicles: Testing

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many representations he has received asking for the MOT testing regime to be extended to every other year; and if he will place in the Library copies of such representations.

Stephen Ladyman: Nine letters have been received by the Department in support of the proposals in advance of the formal consultation on the subject.
	A copy of each of these letters has been placed in the Library. These have been anonymised because there was no indication from the authors whether or not they objected to their full details being made public.

Parking: Fees and Charges

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much income was derived by local authorities from parking  (a) charges and  (b) penalties in the most recent financial year available, broken down by region.

Gillian Merron: I refer the hon. Member to my answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Regent's Park and Kensington, North (Ms Buck) on 27 March 2007,  Official Report, column 1425W.

Railways: Kent

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has estimated the cost of subsidy by South East Trains of free rail transport for Kentish passengers seeking to join Eurostar at Ebbsfleet.

Tom Harris: The arrangement between Southeastern and Eurostar, announced on 8 June, whereby passengers can use services from any Southeastern station to connect with Eurostar trains at Ashford or Ebbsfleet is a commercial agreement between the two companies. There is no additional call on subsidy as a result of this arrangement.

Railways: Kent

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has made an estimate of the expected change in the  (a) passenger miles and  (b) carbon footprint which will result from passengers having to join Eurostar for Brussels at Ebbsfleet rather than at Ashford.

Tom Harris: No estimate has been made to date, but this information has been requested from Eurostar following a meeting I had with MPs local to Ashford on 11 June 2007. I will write to the hon. Gentleman to confirm the response from Eurostar in due course.

Railways: Kent

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the reduction in journey time from London to Ramsgate via Ashford that he expects to follow the introduction of fast link trains on domestic routes.

Tom Harris: The journey time from St. Pancras to Ramsgate via Ashford using the new high-speed service is expected to be one hour 25 minutes, compared with one hour 45 minutes currently from London Bridge.

Railways: Standards

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many trains were cancelled in each of the last 12 months, broken down by region.

Tom Harris: Train cancellation data for the rail network as a whole are collected and processed by Network Rail. For a response, the hon. Member may wish to contact Network Rail's Chief Executive at the following address:
	John Armitt
	Chief Executive
	Network Rail
	40, Melton Street
	London
	NW1 2EE

Railways: Theft

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many thefts of  (a) luggage and  (b) other items were reported on (i) the East Coast and (ii) West Coast main lines in the most recent 12 month period for which figures are available.

Tom Harris: This information is not held by the Department for Transport but by the British Transport Police who can be contacted at:
	British Transport Police
	25 Camden Road
	London
	NW1 9LN
	e-mail: general.enquiries@btp.pnn.police.uk.

Railways: Tickets

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the availability of ticket machines at unstaffed stations;
	(2)  what performance targets train operating companies are set on ticket sales at stations;
	(3)  what recent discussions he has had with the rail industry on the sale of tickets at stations.

Tom Harris: The Secretary of State has made no assessment of ticket machines at unstaffed stations, as ticket selling is the responsibility of the relevant train operator.
	At staffed stations, operators are obliged through their passenger licence and franchise agreement to use reasonable endeavours to limit ticket office queuing times to three minutes at off-peak times and five minutes at peak times.
	The Secretary of State has had no discussions about changing this obligation, but has discussed how new technology such as smartcards, print-at-home tickets or tickets sent directly to mobile phones might be used to avoid the need to queue at ticket offices at all. Several operators are already trialling such tickets.

Roads: Devon

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make an urgent assessment of the safety of the Devon Expressway between Marsh Mills and Ivybridge.

Stephen Ladyman: The Highways Agency monitors the safety of each section of road and junctions with a view to implementing improvements as priority allows. Accident statistics for this length of road are approximately 10 per cent. lower than national average for trunk road dual carriageways. The Agency is aware of the potential increase in future demand from major developments in and around Plymouth and work is under way to provide improved signing and CCTV monitoring of this corridor as well as to identify local improvement measures as traffic volumes increase.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the tunnelling machine used in the A3 Hindhead improvement can be used in future road improvement schemes.

Stephen Ladyman: The A3 Hindhead improvement scheme will not be using a tunnel boring machine for tunnel construction. The excavators and associated support equipment that will be used would be suitable for use in future road improvement schemes.

Roads: Safety

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  whether a regulatory impact assessment was produced on the provisions of the Road Safety Act 2006 which repealed Section 75 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the cost to  (a) community and voluntary sector groups and  (b) county councils of the repeal of Section 75 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976.

Gillian Merron: A copy of the Regulatory Impact Assessment for Section 53 of Road Safety Act 2006, which provides for repeal of section 75 (1) (b) of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1975, has been placed in the Library of the House.
	This gives our estimate of the overall costs across all sectors. We however made no specific estimate of the costs for the community and voluntary transport sectors or for county councils.
	It should be borne in mind that many private hire vehicle contracts will already be carried out by drivers, vehicles and operators that are already licensed or to whom the contract exemption did not apply. Furthermore, the proportion of licensing cost which will be passed on to those awarding contracts will depend on contracts terms in each case.

ScotRail: Franchises

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the financial details of the procurement process for the Scotrail franchise were made available by the Scottish Rail Authority to the  (a) Scottish Executive and  (b) Strathclyde Passenger Transport Authority, during the refranchising process.

Tom Harris: The Strategic Rail Authority undertook the replacement of the ScotRail franchise on behalf of the Scottish Executive. The SRA's processes incorporated the provision of information to and consultation with both the Scottish Executive and Strathclyde Passenger Transport Authority during the franchising process.

ScotRail: Franchises

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the final costs were of the tendering process for the current Scotrail franchise; and on which date the figure was reached for the final cost of the tendering process for the current franchise.

Tom Harris: The ScotRail franchise was re-let by the Strategic Rail Authority on behalf of the Scottish Executive, at a cost to the Authority of 3.753 million. The process was completed on 18 October 2004.

Speed Limits: Cameras

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research he has  (a) commissioned and  (b) reviewed on the relative effectiveness of conspicuous and inconspicuous speed cameras in reducing numbers of speeding motorists.

Stephen Ladyman: holding answer 20 June 2007
	 The Department's guidance DfT Circular 01/2007 Use of Speed and Red-Light Cameras for Traffic Enforcement: Guidance on Deployment, Visibility and Signing, which is available in the House Library, recommends cameras are positioned conspicuously and at locations where excessive speed represents a road safety problem. The annual independent evaluations of the national safety camera programme show that conspicuous enforcement is proven to reduce speeding and accidents. The Department has not commissioned or reviewed research on the relative effectiveness of conspicuous and covert cameras at reducing the number of speeding motorists, but has always made clear that it remains open to the police to conduct covert enforcement of speed limits. The Department introduced high visibility speed enforcement in 2001 as part of the Government's decision to make the camera netting-off scheme available nationally.

Train Operating Companies: Subsidies

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what Government subsidy was provided to each train operating company in each year since 1997.

Tom Harris: Historic subsidies paid and premiums received to and from franchised train operators were published in the annual report and accounts of the Strategic Rail Authority up to 2004-05. Beyond that the information is contained in National Rail Trends. Copies of these documents are in the Library of the House.

Transport: Baggage

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received on  (a) air,  (b) bus and  (c) rail passenger hand baggage policy.

Gillian Merron: The Secretary of State has received written representations from industry and business representatives, and correspondence from members of the public, drawing his attention to the impact the restriction on the number of items of cabin baggage is having on UK air travellers.
	Following the London attacks in July 2005 the Department received a limited amount of correspondence from members of the public about restricting the carriage of luggage on the London Underground and rail networks.

Transport: Greater London

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how much funding for which his Department is responsible was allocated to each London borough in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how much central government funding was allocated to each London borough for road improvements in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: Capital funding to London boroughs for improvements to transport, including highways, is a matter for the Mayor. The Department gives a block grant to Transport for London, from which borough transport improvements can be funded.
	Additionally, under the Mixed Priority Route Road Safety Demonstration Project, 1 million in grant was allocated to the London borough of Southwark and the London borough of Lambeth for highway works between 2002-03 and 2006-07. Over three years from 2001 to 2003 funding was also provided for the Kerbcraft scheme to equip local volunteers to work with small groups of 5-7 year olds on improving basic roadside skills. The funding was allocated to the London boroughs as shown in the chart as follows.
	
		
			  Payments to London boroughs running 'Kerbcraft' schemes( 1) 
			  000 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Camden 9 28 27 23  
			 Croydon 9 24 25 27  
			 Enfield 28 27 24   
			 Greenwich 26 29 48 22 27 
			 Haringey  5 28 29 28 
			 Islington  2 26 22 26 
			 Lambeth 32 37 25 21  
			 Lewisham 34 55 39 31  
			 Southwark 2 11  22  
			 Tower Hamlets 10 38 59 46 26 
			 Waltham Forest 4 22 22 19  
			 Westminster  9 29 31 21 
			 (1 )Payment was made after the end of the financial year in which the training was carried out. 
		
	
	The Department has also awarded PFI credits to London boroughs in order to support them to enter into a PFI contract to improve their street lighting. The PFI credits awarded to London boroughs for street lighting schemes in the last five years are:
	
		
			  London borough  Month of award  PFI c redits awarded ( million) 
			 London borough of Islington May 2003 12.2 
			 London borough of Ealing July 2005 25.3 
			 London borough of Lambeth November 2005 17.2 
			 London borough of Barnet March 2006 27.8 
			 London borough of Enfield March 2006 23.7

Transport: Noise

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking to address noise generated by  (a) road traffic,  (b) trains and  (c) aviation.

Gillian Merron: On aircraft noise, the Government's objective is to strike a fair balance between the local and national benefits that can be gained from airport expansion and the local environmental costs that might be imposed on people who live nearest to airports.
	One of the aims of the 2003 Future of Air Transport White Paper was that the number of people in the UK significantly affected by aircraft noise should be limited and, where possible, reduced. In helping airports deliver this aim, the Civil Aviation Act 2006 strengthened airport operators' powers to control noise at airports.
	The Environmental Noise Directive requires the production of strategic noise maps for large urban areas, major roads, major railways and major airports. The maps will be used to prepare noise action plans during 2008 setting out how environmental noise, including that from transport sources, will be managed. To inform the development of these plans, the Department for Transport will work closely with DEFRA and transport stakeholders in reviewing how transport noise is currently managed and what additional mitigation measures might be needed.
	In assessing the impact of new road proposals on the environment, noise annoyance is taken into account in scheme appraisal. Road construction projects will include high standards of environmental mitigation to ensure that, so far as reasonably possible, the impact of noise is minimised in accordance with this policy.

Transport: Noise

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received on noise nuisance generated by  (a) aviation and  (b) road traffic.

Gillian Merron: The Department regularly receives representations regarding noise generated by aviation and road traffic. The views are used in developing measures to address noise nuisance from transport.

Transport: Sustainable Development

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the project on the sustainability of land use and transport in outer neighbourhoods has been completed.

Gillian Merron: This project is due to be completed later this year. A copy of the report from the first phase can be found in the Library of the House.

Vehicles

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the projected change is in the number of vehicles on roads in England up to 2,025, broken down by category of vehicle.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department's TEMPRO (Version 5) System forecasts car ownership, alongside other data on trips. However, it does not forecast other vehicle categories. Current projections are that the change in the number of cars between 2003 and 2025 could be 7.9 million or 34 per cent.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Adoption

Dari Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what average time a child waited in local authority care to be placed  (a) with foster parent(s) and  (b) with a parent(s) for adoption in each of the last five years.

Parmjit Dhanda: The information requested on the average time a child waited in local authority care to be placed with foster parents is not collected centrally.
	Information on the average time between the date it was decided that a looked after child should be placed for adoption and the date this child was actually placed for adoption is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Looked after children adopted during the year ending 31 March 2006 by average time between the date it was decided that a child should be placed for adoption and the actual date when a child was placed for adoption( 1,2,3) , E ngland 
			  Year ending 31 March  Average time between the date it was decided a looked after child should be placed for adoption and the actual date when this child was placed for adoption (year:month) 
			 2002 0:08 
			 2003 0:07 
			 2004 0:08 
			 2005 0:08 
			 2006 0:08 
			 (1) SSDA903 return (Source). (2) Historical data may differ from older publications. This is mainly due to the implementation of amendments and corrections sent by some local authorities after the publication date of previous materials. (3) Figures were rounded to the nearest year and to the nearest month.

Adoption

Dari Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children are in local authority care facilities waiting for placement  (a) with a foster parent(s) and  (b) for adoption.

Parmjit Dhanda: The information requested is not held centrally.

Adoption

Dari Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many  (a) couples and  (b) individuals made enquiries to local authorities to (i) foster and (ii) adopt a child or children in each of the last five years.

Parmjit Dhanda: This information is not held centrally.

Adoption

Dari Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent assessment he has made of administration by local authorities of the support activity required by adoption legislation to parents in fostering and adoption.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Secretary of State has made no assessment of the support services provided by local authorities. This is the responsibility of the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted).
	In November 2006, the then inspectorate of children's services, the Commission for Social Care Inspection, published Adoption: messages from inspections of adoption agencies, which includes a chapter on supporting children in their new families. This report can be downloaded from the publications page on the Ofsted website:
	www.ofsted.gov.uk
	In addition, as a part of its Adoption Research Initiative, the Department for Education and Skills has commissioned a study into the specialist support services available for birth parents in adoption cases and the services for supporting contact between birth parents and their children. The study is due to complete in June 2008.
	In relation to fostering, the National Minimum Standards for Fostering Services require fostering service providers to have in place a clear strategy for working with and supporting their carers, including training and development, out of hours support and arrangements for reviews. The Fostering Services Regulations 2002 place an explicit duty on providers to provide carers with such training, support and information as appears necessary in the interests of the children placed with them. Fostering service providers' compliance with these Regulations and the National Minimum Standards is assessed by Ofsted as part of its inspections of fostering services.

Adoption

Dari Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what average time local authorities took to interview and process an application form from  (a) a couple and  (b) an individual wishing to (i) foster and (ii) adopt in each of the last five years.

Parmjit Dhanda: This information is not held centrally.
	The Fostering Services Regulations 2002 set out in detail the requirements of the approval process for foster carers including the information that must be collected in the assessment and who must sit on the fostering panel. There are no prescribed time scales for the approval process; however, it is in the interests of the provider to conduct approvals efficiently, in order to place children into suitable homes.
	The local authority adoption panel's recommendation about the suitability of a prospective adopter(s) to adopt a child should be made within eight months of the receipt of their formal application. The local authority's decision on whether the prospective adopter should be approved as suitable to adopt should be taken within seven working days of the adoption panel's recommendation. The prospective adopter should be informed orally of the local authority's decision within two working days and written confirmation should be sent to them within five working days.
	The local authority should monitor its performance against these time scales and make this information available in its annual report.

Adoption: Foster Care

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps his Department is taking to minimise the disruption to the care provided to fostered children going through the court process for adoption.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Ministry of Justice, through Her Majesty's Court Service, has lead responsibility for supporting the work of the judiciary in the family courts. These courts consider the cases of those children who become the subject of care proceedings brought under section 31 of the Children Act 1989, some of whom will be placed with foster parents while their cases are before the courts.
	The Department works closely and collaboratively with the Ministry of Justice, in particular, through the Ministerial Steering Group on Care Proceedings, of which I am a member. Together, we are working to implement the recommendations of the 'Review of the Child Care Proceedings System in England and Wales', which are intended to reduce delay in the family courts and thus reduce the risk of disruption to the lives of children who are the subjects of such proceedings.
	On 21 June, a revised 'Public Law Outline' was published for consultation by the President of the Family Division, Sir Mark Potter, who is also a member of the Ministerial Steering Group. This document, when implemented in April 2008, is intended to improve the case management of care proceedings cases brought by local authorities.
	The White Paper 'Care Matters: Time for Change', also published on 21 June, sets out a range of measures aimed at increasing placement stability for children in foster care. As well as measures to improve the training of foster carers, the White Paper introduced a series of regional commissioning pilots in order to enable local authorities to recruit and retain sufficient foster carers in their local areas.

Apprentices: Lancashire

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many 16 to 18-year-olds in West Lancashire  (a) started an apprenticeship,  (b) completed an apprenticeship and  (c) found employment in the field of their apprenticeship in each of the last three years.

Phil Hope: The following table shows the number of apprenticeship starts for 16 to 18-year-olds in West Lancashire.
	
		
			   West Lancashire  England 
			   Advanced apprenticeship  Apprenticeship  Advanced apprenticeship  Apprenticeship 
			 2003/04 50 220 27,520 85,510 
			 2004/05 60 190 26,990 87,900 
			 2005/06 60 160 23,610 77,400 
			  Note: Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10  Source: Learning and Skills Council (LSC) Work Based Learning (WBL) Individualised Learner Record (ILR) 
		
	
	Success rates (the number of leavers who meet all of the requirements of their apprenticeship framework divided by the number of leavers who have either left training or successfully completed their programme) by age group and programme type are published in the Statistical First Release: Further Education and work-based learning for young peoplelearner outcomes in England. Success rates for 16 to 18-year-olds are shown in the following table. These figures are not currently available at parliamentary constituency level.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   Advanced apprenticeship  Apprenticeship 
			 2003/04 36 31 
			 2004/05 41 41 
			 2005/06 56 54 
			  Source: WBL ILR 
		
	
	The ILR does not collect information about the field of employment learners go into on completion of their apprenticeships although because the vast majority of apprentices are employed during their training it is probable that most will stay in the same field of employment on completion of their training.

Apprentices: Yorkshire and Humberside

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many 16 to 18-year-olds in  (a) Yorkshire and Humberside and  (b) East Riding of Yorkshire (i) started an apprenticeship, (ii) completed an apprenticeship and (iii) found employment in the field of their apprenticeship in each of the last three years.

Phil Hope: The following table shows the number of apprenticeship starts for 16 to 18-year-olds in  (a) Yorkshire and Humberside and  (b) East Riding of Yorkshire.
	
		
			   Yorkshire and Humberside  East Riding of Yorkshire  England 
			   Advanced apprenticeship  Apprenticeship  Advanced apprenticeship  Apprenticeship  Advanced apprenticeship  Apprenticeship 
			 2003/04 3,310 11,870 360 1,150 27,520 85,510 
			 2004/05 3,440 12,710 300 1,220 26,990 87,900 
			 2005/06 3,070 10,640 270 1,260 23,610 77,400 
			  Note: Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10  Source: Learning and Skills Council (LSC) Work Based Learning (WBL) Individualised Learner Record (ILR) 
		
	
	Completion is not a measure used by the LSC. The following table shows success rates (the number of leavers who meet all of the requirements of their apprenticeship framework divided by the number of leavers who have either left training or successfully completed their programme) for 16 to 18-year-olds in Yorkshire and Humberside. These figures are not currently available at local authority level.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   Advanced apprenticeship  Apprenticeship 
			 2003/04 40 33 
			 2004/05 39 37 
			 2005/06 55 51 
			  Source: WBL ILR 
		
	
	The ILR does not collect information about the field of employment learners go into on completion of their apprenticeships although because the vast majority of apprentices are employed during their training it is probable that most will stay in the same field of employment on completion of their training.

Apprenticeships

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many learners  (a) participated in programme-led pathways and  (b) participated in programme-led pathways and progressed to (i) a work-based learning programme and (ii) a further education programme in each year since the inception of the scheme.

Phil Hope: holding answer 16 April 2007
	 Programme Led Pathways (PLPs) were introduced in 2004/05 for young people on courses of further education in colleges including study towards qualifications that form a mandatory part of an approved apprenticeship framework.
	In 2004/05 the number of programme led pathways recorded was 40,510 (rounded to the nearest 10) or 18.7 per cent. of total starts.
	PLPs were replaced by programme led apprenticeships (PLAs) in 2005/06. PLAs include those which would previously have been known as PLPs as well as apprenticeships, funded through the work based learning funding route, where the learners concerned are not yet employed. This change was made to provide a clear means to determine eligibility for education maintenance allowance (EMA). PLAs are not a substitute for employer led apprenticeships, which remain the preferred route for apprentices. They exist to enable young people who are not yet able to start an apprenticeship to study those elements of an apprenticeship that are able to be achieved outside an employed situation.
	In 2005/06, using the criteria for PLAs under EMA, data from the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) show 24,580 (rounded to the nearest 10) learners starting a programme led apprenticeship12.3 per cent. of total starts on apprenticeships.
	Information on learners who participated in programme-led pathways and progressed to (i) a work-based learning programme and (ii) a further education programme is not readily available. To calculate the volumes progressing to mainstream provision would require a significant resource in terms of analyst time and that information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Assessments: Romford

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students took A2 level examinations in Romford in each year since 1997; and how many passed with grades A to C.

Jim Knight: The information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Bookstart Scheme

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  when the extension of the Bookstart scheme announced in the 2006 pre-Budget report to deliver books to five and 11-year-olds is planned to come into effect;
	(2)  how much more his Department expects to contribute to the Bookstart scheme via the Booktrust charity to fund the extension of the scheme to deliver books to five and 11-year-olds.

Beverley Hughes: Bookstart, which delivers free packs to babies and children aged between 6-9 months, 18 months and 3 years, is not being extended. However, the Department is funding two new free book offersBooktime and Booked Up. Booktime, the free book scheme for every 5-year-old, will be delivered in the autumn term 2007. Booktime aims to involve parents and carers in their child's reading and promote reading for pleasure. The free book, carefully selected by a panel of experts will be 'FunnyBones' by Allan and Janet Ahlberg.
	Booked Up is the free book scheme for every 11-year-old and this will also be delivered in the autumn term 2007. Every child will be able to choose a free book from a choice of 12 titles, selected to encompass a wide range of reading abilities and interests. Booked Up aims to encourage independent reading and personal choice of material as well as reading for pleasure.
	Booktrust is administering both Booktime and Booked Up and the Department is funding the organisation 4 million to deliver both offers.

Building Schools for the Future Programme: Private Finance Initiative

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of the total contract value PFI credits are normally expected to cover in cases where local authorities are allocated Private Finance Initiative credits for Building Schools for the Future contracts.

Jim Knight: PFI is the preferred route for funding new build projects within the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme. Through work with Pathfinder and Wave 1 local authorities the level of PFI credits has been set at a rate whereby authorities may be expected to provide an additional contribution to their PFI projects, which DFES expects to be affordable. Each BSF project is unique and some local authorities seek to include elements/services outside of the scope of what DFES will fund for BSF. As a result, the contribution made by individual local authorities varies by project and the proportion of the total contract value which is expected to be funded through PFI credits will vary.

Children: Protection

Jane Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what mechanisms his Department has in place to ensure that  (a) local authorities and  (b) children's trusts ensure that calls to report child protection concerns are referred on to the appropriate agency with the appropriate level of urgency;
	(2)  what statutory time limits are in place within which a  (a) local authority and  (b) children's trust must respond to a call reporting child protection concerns from (i) a member of the public, (ii) schools, (iii) the police and (iv) other local authority child protection agencies;
	(3)  what measures are in place to ensure that local authorities record the number of calls to children's services to report child protection concerns.

Parmjit Dhanda: holding answer s 21 June 2007
	 All organisations that work with children share a commitment to safeguard and promote their welfare, and for many organisations that is underpinned by a statutory duty or duties. Local authorities that are children's services authorities have a number of specific duties to organise and plan services and to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. Children's trusts are local area partnership arrangements, underpinned by the Children Act 2004 duty to cooperate, for bringing together key agencies which deliver services for children, young people and their families.
	Section 11 of the Children Act 2004 places a duty on key people and bodies to make arrangements to ensure that their functions are discharged with regard to the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. The application of this duty will vary according to the nature of each agency and its functions.
	Councils with local authority children's social services functions have particular responsibilities towards all children whose health or development may be impaired without the provision of services, or who are disabled (defined in the Children Act 1989 as children 'in need'). They should agree, with LSCB partners, criteria with local services and professionals as to when it is appropriate to make a referral to local authority children's social care in respect of a child in need. They should also agree the format for making a referral and sharing the information recorded.
	Professionals who phone local authority children's social care should confirm referrals in writing within 48 hours. The Common Assessment Framework provides a structure for the written referral. At the end of any discussion or dialogue about a child, the referrer (whether a professional or a member of the public or family) and local authority children's social care should be clear about proposed action, timescales and who will be taking it, or that no further action will be taken. The decision should be recorded by local authority children's social care and by the referrer (if a professional in another service). Local authority children's social care should acknowledge a written referral within one working day of receiving it. If the referrer has not received an acknowledgement within three working days, they should contact the local authority children's social care again.
	Local authority children's social care should decide and record next steps of action within one working day. This information should be consistent with the information set out in the Referral and Information Record (Department of Health, 2002). This decision should normally follow discussion with any referring professional/service and consideration of information held in any existing records, and involve discussion with other professionals and services as necessary (including the police, where a criminal offence may have been committed against a child). This initial consideration of the case should addresson the basis of the available evidencewhether there are concerns about the child's health and development or actual and/or potential harm that justifies and initial assessment to establish whether this child is possibly a child in need. Further action may also include referral to other agencies, the provision of advice or information, or no further action.
	All child protection conferences, both initial and review, should have a dedicated person to take notes and produce a record of the meeting. The record of the conference is a crucial working document for all relevant professionals and the family. Cases where s47 inquiries do not result in the substantiation of referral concerns should be retained in accordance with agency retention policies. These policies should ensure that records are stored safely and can be retrieved promptly and efficiently.

Children: Work Permits

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 19 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1701W, on children: work permits, when he proposes to issue guidance on child employment; and what steps he is taking to consult key stakeholders.

Parmjit Dhanda: Government guidance on child employment will be issued within the next year. All key stakeholders will be invited to comment on the scope and content of the guidance, and to play an active part in its preparation.

City Academies: Private Sector

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what rights private sector sponsoring companies have to hire and fire staff in state city academies.

Jim Knight: holding answer 7 June 2007
	 Staff in Academies are not employed by private sector sponsoring companies but by the Academy governing body. The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations (TUPE) apply when a school closes and becomes an Academy, and general employment law applies to all open Academies.

Class Sizes

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average teacher-pupil ratio was in  (a) mainstream primary,  (b) mainstream secondary and  (c) special needs schools in each local authority area in each of the last 10 years.

Jim Knight: The table which has been placed in the House Libraries shows the pupil to teacher ratio in maintained primary, secondary and special schools in each local authority in England, January 1997 to 2006.

Curriculum: Expenditure

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 5 March 2007,  Official Report, column 1702, on curriculum: expenditure, whether the 3 billion allocated to the delivery of free nursery education for three and four-year-olds is additional to the 3 billion allocated to local authorities through the General Sure Start Grant; and what the timetable is for the allocation of such funding;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 2 February 2007,  Official Report, column 983, on nursery services, whether the further 3 billion per year allocated by his Department to children's centres has been transferred to local authorities; on what basis it is distributed to individual authorities; what mechanisms are in place to analyse the spending of this funding; and for what period this annual spending has been committed.

Beverley Hughes: The funding of around 3 billion a year for delivery of the free entitlement to nursery education for 3 and 4-year-olds is provided to local authorities through the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) and is additional to the 3 billion of funding allocated to local authorities through the General Sure Start Grant (GSSG) for the period 2006-08.
	The school funding settlement for 2006-08 announced in December 2005 set out individual local authority allocations of DSG for 2006-07 and 2007-08 subject to finalisation in light of actual pupil numbers. Distribution of DSG funding to schools and other providers is up to each individual LA in consultation with their School Forum.
	GSSG allocations for the 2006-08 period were announced to local authorities by letter on 5 December 2005. Transformation Fund allocations (part of the GSSG) and additional funding for children's centres were announced by letter on 13 February 2006.
	GSSG includes funding for Sure Start Children's Centres, extended schools, inclusion, workforce development, child care affordability and sustainability initiatives, and the implementation of the new duties in the Childcare Act. Local authorities have the freedom to decide how much is spent on each of these areas within the Main Revenue and Main Capital elements of GSSG.
	The distribution methodology takes account of factors including numbers of children, areas of disadvantage and rurality.
	Local authorities are required to report actual expenditure, for each of the blocks within the GSSG, at the end of quarters 2 and 3 of each financial year. Within one month of the year end, authorities are required to provide a more detailed breakdown of actual expenditure (including that for Sure Start Children's Centres) for the year.
	The Department received its CSR settlement for 2008-11 in the 2007 Budget. Announcements about specific allocations will be made over the coming months.

Degrees

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what percentage of  (a) women and  (b) men of (i) white, (ii) Afro-Caribbean and (iii) Asian ethnicity received (A) first class, (B) upper second class and (C) lower second class degrees in English universities in the last five years for which figures are available.

Bill Rammell: The available information is given in the tables. Figures for 2006/07 will be available in January 2008.
	The Department undertook analysis to find out whether ethnicity, after controlling for other factors, still had predictive power in explaining degree attainment. The 'Ethnicity and Degree Attainment' report, published in January 2007, concluded that much of the attainment gap between students from minority ethnic communities and their White peers could be explained by factors other than ethnicity (e.g. gender, prior attainment, disability, deprivation, subject, term-time accommodation, and age). However, even after controlling for these other factors, coming from a minority ethnic community was still found to have a statistically significant and negative effect on degree attainment. The research also showed that women are more likely to obtain a higher degree classification than men, except when it comes to attaining a first.
	These findings do not automatically imply that there is some form of ethnic or gender bias within the HE system, and there are a number of other reasons which could explain the results obtained.
	The Government are committed to ensuring that people from all backgrounds and all sections of society have the opportunity to benefit from the thrive in higher education. That is why we undertook this research and why we have asked the Higher Education Academy and Equality Challenge Unit to work with Higher Education Institutions, to investigate these results further. This work is supported by Universities UK and GuildHE and will build upon existing good practice. We have to ensure that every student regardless of race or sex is given equal opportunity to succeed within Higher Education. The full report can be accessed here:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/RW92.pdf
	
		
			  UK domiciled first degree qualifiers at English HEIs by degree classification obtained. 2001/02 to 2005/06 
			  Percentage( 1) 
			2001/02  2002/03  2003/04 
			  Ethnicity  Class of degree  Female  Male  Total  Female  Male  Total  Female  Male  Total 
			 White First class honours 10 11 11 11 12 11 11 12 12 
			  Upper second class honours 53 44 49 52 43 48 52 44 49 
			  Lower second class honours 29 33 31 29 32 30 28 32 30 
			  Other(2) 8 12 10 8 12 10 8 12 10 
			  Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 
			
			 Black or Black BritishCaribbean First class honours 3 3 3 4 4 4 3 4 3 
			  Upper second class honours 33 27 32 33 28 32 35 28 33 
			  Lower second class honours 48 48 48 46 42 45 45 46 46 
			  Other(2) 16 22 18 17 25 20 17 22 18 
			  Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 
			
			 Black or Black BritishAfrican First class honours 3 3 3 3 4 3 3 3 3 
			  Upper second class honours 30 23 27 30 25 28 30 25 28 
			  Lower second class honours 46 44 45 49 44 47 46 45 45 
			  Other(2) 20 30 25 18 27 22 21 28 24 
			  Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 
			
			 Other Black background First class honours 4 6 5 3 4 4 3 3 3 
			  Upper second class honours 35 32 34 39 28 35 37 29 34 
			  Lower second class honours 45 41 43 43 44 43 44 45 45 
			  Other(2) 17 21 18 14 23 18 16 23 18 
			  Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 
			
			 Total Asian(3) First class honours 6 7 6 6 7 6 6 7 7 
			  Upper second class honours 39 34 37 39 33 36 39 33 36 
			  Lower second class honours 40 37 39 39 39 39 39 39 39 
			  Other(2) 15 22 18 16 21 18 15 21 18 
			  Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 
			
			 Other Ethnic background(4) First class honours 8 9 9 8 9 8 8 10 9 
			  Upper second class honours 45 38 42 46 39 43 48 40 44 
			  Lower second class honours 35 36 36 34 35 35 33 33 33 
			  Other(2) 12 17 14 12 17 14 11 17 14 
			  Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 
			
			 Total of known ethnicity First class honours 9 10 10 10 11 11 11 11 11 
			  Upper second class honours 50 42 47 50 42 46 50 42 47 
			  Lower second class honours 31 34 32 31 34 32 30 33 31 
			  Other(2) 9 14 11 9 14 11 9 14 11 
			  Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 
		
	
	
		
			  Percentage( 1) 
			2004/05  2005/06 
			  Ethnicity  Class of degree  Female  Male  Total  Female  Male  Total 
			 White First class honours 12 13 12 12 13 13 
			  Upper second class honours 52 44 49 52 45 49 
			  Lower second class honours 27 30 29 26 30 28 
			  Other(2) 9 13 11 10 12 11 
			  Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 
			 
			 Black or Black BritishCaribbean First class honours 3 2 3 3 3 3 
			  Upper second class honours 35 32 34 36 28 34 
			  Lower second class honours 46 46 46 45 48 46 
			  Other(2) 15 20 17 17 21 18 
			  Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 
			 
			 Black or Black BritishAfrican First class honours 3 4 3 3 4 4 
			  Upper second class honours 32 27 30 30 28 29 
			  Lower second class honours 46 45 45 48 45 47 
			  Other(2) 19 25 22 18 23 20 
			  Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 
			 
			 Other Black background First class honours 3 4 3 2 4 3 
			  Upper second class honours 32 25 30 33 33 33 
			  Lower second class honours 45 43 44 47 38 43 
			  Other(2) 19 29 23 18 25 20 
			  Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 
			 
			 Total Asian(3) First class honours 6 7 7 6 7 7 
			  Upper second class honours 39 33 37 39 33 36 
			  Lower second class honours 39 38 38 39 38 38 
			  Other(2) 16 21 19 16 21 19 
			  Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 
			 
			 Other Ethnic background(4) First class honours 9 11 9 9 10 10 
			  Upper second class honours 48 40 44 50 39 45 
			  Lower second class honours 33 35 34 30 35 32 
			  Other(2) 11 15 13 11 16 13 
			  Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 
			 Total of known ethnicity First class honours 11 12 11 11 12 12 
			  Upper second class honours 50 42 46 49 43 46 
			  Lower second class honours 29 32 30 29 31 30 
			  Other(2) 10 14 12 11 14 12 
			  Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 
			 (1) Percentages are based upon all first degree qualifiers, not just those who obtain an honours qualification. (2) 'Other' includes Undivided Second Class Honours, Third Class Honours, Fourth Class Honours, Unclassified honours, Aegrotat, Pass, Ordinary and General Degree. (3) 'Asian' includes those qualifiers of Pakistani, Indian, Chinese, Bangladeshi and Other Asian backgrounds. (4) Includes those of 'mixed' ethnic background and 'other' ethnic backgrounds.  Source:  Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) student record 
		
	
	
		
			  UK domiciled first degree qualifiers at English HEIs by degree classification obtained. 2001/02 to 2005/06 
			  Number 
			2001/02  2002/03  2003/04 
			  Ethnicity  Class of degree  Female  Male  Total  Female  Male  Total  Female  Male  Total 
			 White First class honours 9,135 7,835 16,970 10,090 8,490 18,580 10,810 8,770 19,580 
			  Upper second class honours 47,045 30,570 77,615 47,835 30,645 78,480 49,335 32,090 81,425 
			  Lower second class honours 26,270 23,155 49,425 26,660 22,835 49,495 26,610 22,880 49,490 
			  Other(1) 7,000 8,415 15,415 7,500 8,530 16,030 7,510 8,570 16,080 
			  Total 89,450 69,970 159,420 92,085 70,500 162,585 94,265 72,310 166,575 
			
			 Black or Black BritishCaribbean First class honours 45 15 60 55 25 85 45 30 75 
			  Upper second class honours 500 165 665 510 180 690 605 210 815 
			  Lower second class honours 720 290 1,010 710 265 975 780 350 1,130 
			  Other(1) 240 135 370 270 160 430 290 165 455 
			  Total 1,500 610 2,105 1,550 630 2,180 1,715 755 2,470 
			
			 Black or Black BritishAfrican First class honours 60 50 110 55 65 125 80 50 130 
			  Upper second class honours 565 345 910 625 405 1,035 715 455 1,170 
			  Lower second class honours 865 670 1,535 1,020 705 1,720 1,090 810 1,895 
			  Other(1) 370 460 830 385 435 820 490 500 990 
			  Total 1,865 1,520 3,385 2,085 1,610 3,695 2,370 1,810 4,185 
			
			 Other Black background First class honours 30 20 50 20 15 40 15 10 25 
			  Upper second class honours 255 120 380 260 110 365 210 95 310 
			  Lower second class honours 330 155 485 285 170 450 250 145 400 
			  Other(1) 125 80 205 95 90 185 90 75 165 
			  Total 740 380 1,120 655 385 1,040 565 325 895 
			
			 Total Asian(3) First class honours 565 605 1,170 595 710 1,305 730 780 1,510 
			  Upper second class honours 3,850 3,010 6,860 4,180 3,200 7,380 4,465 3,405 7,870 
			  Lower second class honours 3,895 3,355 7,250 4,155 3,770 7,925 4,425 4,050 8,475 
			  Other(1) 1,455 1,980 3,430 1,675 2,075 3,750 1,750 2,210 3,960 
			  Total 9,760 8,950 18,710 10,610 9,755 20,365 11.370 10,445 21,815 
			
			 Other Ethnic background(4) First class honours 175 140 315 195 145 340 230 210 440 
			  Upper second class honours 960 565 1,530 1,090 665 1,750 1,360 810 2,175 
			  Lower second class honours 765 545 1,305 800 600 1,405 950 670 1,620 
			  Other(1) 260 255 510 270 285 560 325 350 675 
			  Total 2,155 1,505 3,660 2,355 1,700 4,055 2,865 2,040 4,905 
			
			 Total of known ethnicity First class honours 10,005 8,665 18,670 11,015 9,455 20,475 11,915 9,845 21,760 
			  Upper second class honours 53,180 34,775 87,955 54,500 35,205 89.705 56,690 37,065 93,760 
			  Lower second class honours 32,840 28,165 61,010 33,630 28,340 61,975 34,100 28,905 63,005 
			  Other(1) 9,450 11,320 20,765 10,195 11,575 21,770 10,445 11,870 22,320 
			  Total 105,475 82,930 188,400 109,345 84,575 193,920 113,155 87,685 200,840 
			
			 Not known missing First class honours 315 280 590 350 295 645 300 265 565 
			  Upper second class honours 1,605 1,050 2,655 1,590 1,095 2,685 1,690 1,000 2,690 
			  Lower second class honours 1,350 1,070 2,425 1,310 1,115 2,425 1,430 1,095 2,525 
			  Other(1) 940 995 1,935 945 990 1,935 945 1,050 1,995 
			  Total 4,210 3,395 7,605 4,195 3,495 7,690 4,365 3,405 7,770 
			
			 Information refused First class honours 235 225 455 220 190 410 200 170 370 
			  Upper second class honours 1,225 945 2,170 1,175 780 1,955 990 665 1,660 
			  Lower second class honours 920 825 1,745 860 740 1,595 630 605 1,235 
			  Other(1) 435 395 830 420 355 775 355 345 700 
			  Total 2,815 2,390 5,205 2,675 2,065 4,740 2,180 1,785 3,965 
			
			 Total First class honours 10,550 9,170 19.720 11,590 9,940 21,530 12,415 10,275 22,695 
			  Upper second class honours 56,010 36,770 92,780 57,265 37.080 94,345 59,375 38,730 98,105 
			  Lower second class honours 35,115 30,065 65,180 35,800 30,195 65,995 36,155 30,605 66,760 
			  Other(1) 10,820 12,715 23,535 11,565 12,920 24,480 11,750 13,265 25,015 
			  Total 112,500 88,715 201,215 116,215 90,135 206,350 119,695 92,875 212,575 
		
	
	
		
			  Number 
			2004/05  2005/06 
			  Ethnicity  Class of degree  Female  Male  Total  Female  Male  Total 
			 White First class honours 11,440 9,415 20,855 12,590 9,980 22,575 
			  Upper second class honours 50,495 33,020 83,510 52,255 33,790 86,045 
			  Lower second class honours 26,740 22,535 49,275 26,725 22,360 49,085 
			  Other(1) 9,030 9,365 18,400 9,660 9,350 19,010 
			  Total 97,705 74,335 172,040 101,235 75,480 176,715 
			 
			 Black or Black BritishCaribbean First class honours 60 20 80 55 25 80 
			  Upper second class honours 645 255 900 675 250 925 
			  Lower second class honours 855 370 1,225 840 425 1,260 
			  Other(1) 285 160 445 315 180 495 
			  Total 1,850 800 2,650 1,880 880 2,760 
			 
			 Black or Black BritishAfrican First class honours 75 90 165 110 100 210 
			  Upper second class honours 855 550 1,405 1,005 675 1,675 
			  Lower second class honours 1,235 925 2,160 1,590 1,100 2,690 
			  Other(1) 515 510 1,025 590 560 1,150 
			  Total 2,680 2,075 4,760 3,290 2,435 5,725 
			 
			 Other Black background First class honours 15 10 25 10 10 25 
			  Upper second class honours 155 65 220 170 95 265 
			  Lower second class honours 215 115 330 240 105 345 
			  Other(1) 90 75 170 90 70 165 
			  Total 480 265 745 515 285 800 
			 Total Asian(2) First class honours 725 760 1,485 740 830 1,570 
			  Upper second class honours 4,735 3,580 8,315 4,910 3,640 8,550 
			  Lower second class honours 4,630 4,060 8,690 4,825 4,275 9,095 
			  Other(1) 1,915 2,300 4,210 2,040 2,385 4,425 
			  Total 12,005 10,700 22,705 12,515 11,125 23,640 
			 
			 Other Ethnic background(3) First class honours 290 255 545 335 275 610 
			  Upper second class honours 1,585 950 2,535 1,815 1,035 2,850 
			  Lower second class honours 1,085 840 1,925 1,090 945 2,035 
			  Other(1) 370 350 720 400 415 815 
			  Total 3,330 2,395 5,725 3,635 2,670 6,305 
			 
			 Total of known ethnicity First class honours 12,605 10,550 23,155 13,840 11,225 25,060 
			  Upper second class honours 58,470 38,425 96,890 60,835 39,480 100,315 
			  Lower second class honours 34,760 28,840 63,600 35,305 29,210 64,515 
			  Other(1) 12,210 12,760 24,970 13,095 12,960 26,050 
			  Total 118,045 90,575 208,620 123,070 92,870 215,940 
			 
			 Not known missing First class honours 320 215 535 325 180 505 
			  Upper second class honours 1,650 935 2,585 1,555 895 2,450 
			  Lower second class honours 1,565 1,275 2,835 1,590 1,160 2,750 
			  Other(1) 1,250 1,370 2,620 1,325 1,270 2,595 
			  Total 4,780 3,795 8,575 4,790 3,505 8,300 
			 
			 Information refused First class honours 165 175 340 135 170 300 
			  Upper second class honours 685 620 1,305 635 535 1,170 
			  Lower second class honours 585 545 1,130 445 460 905 
			  Other(1) 280 380 660 255 245 500 
			  Total 1,715 1,720 3,440 1,470 1,410 2,875 
			 
			 Total First class honours 13,090 10,940 24,025 14,295 11,575 25,870 
			  Upper second class honours 60,805 39,980 100,785 63,025 40,910 103,935 
			  Lower second class honours 36,910 30,660 67,570 37,340 30,830 68,170 
			  Other(1) 13,740 14,515 28,250 14,670 14,475 29,145 
			  Total 124,545 96,090 220,635 129,330 97,790 227,115 
			 Figures are rounded to the nearest 5. (1) 'Other' includes Undivided Second Class Honours, Third Class Honours, Fourth Class Honours, Unclassified honours, Aegrotat, Pass, Ordinary and General Degree. (2) 'Asian' includes those qualifiers of Pakistani, Indian, Chinese, Bangladeshi and Other Asian backgrounds. (3) Includes those of 'mixed' ethnic background and 'other1 ethnic backgrounds.  Source:  Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) student record

Degrees: Gender

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what percentage of  (a) women and  (b) men received (i) first class, (ii) upper second class and (iii) lower second class degrees from  (A) all UK universities,  (B) Russell Group universities and  (C) Oxbridge in each of the last five years, broken down by number of UCAS points on university entry.

Bill Rammell: The available information is shown in the table; comparable information for 2006/07 will be available in January 2008. Comparable figures split by UCAS tariff scores are not readily available.
	
		
			  Number and percentage( 1)  of qualifiers( 2)  from first degree courses by gender, class of degree and type of institution, UK Higher Education Institutions, academic years 2001/02 to 2004/05 
			   Female  Male 
			  Academic year  First class honours  Upper second class honours  Lower second class honours  Other( 3)  Total  First class honours  Upper second class honours  Lower second class honours  Other( 3)  Total 
			  2001/02   
			 All UK HEIs   
			 Number 14,050 73,015 46,250 19,150 152,465 12,405 48,225 40,260 21,085 121,975 
			 Percentage 9.2 47.9 30.3 12.6 100.0 10.2 39.5 33.0 17.3 100.0 
			  Of which:   
			 Russell Group   
			 Number 4,285 17,665 5,575 3,890 31,415 4,655 13,295 6,580 4,180 28,710 
			 Percentage 13.6 56.2 17.7 12.4 100.0 16.2 46.3 22.9 14.6 100.0 
			  Of which:   
			 Oxbridge   
			 Number 715 2,000 305 190 3,210 1,145 1,955 405 205 3,710 
			 Percentage 22.3 62.3 9.5 5.9 100.0 30.9 52.7 10.9 5.5 100.0 
			
			  2002/03   
			 All UK HEIs   
			 Number 15,365 75,055 47,345 20,190 157,955 13,275 48,745 40,870 21,545 124,435 
			 Percentage 9.7 47.5 30.0 12.8 100.0 10.7 39.2 32.8 17.3 100.0 
			  Of which:   
			 Russell Group   
			 Number 4,625 18,305 5,880 3,940 32,750 4,850 13,440 6,675 4,185 29,150 
			 Percentage 14.1 55.9 18.0 12.0 100.0 16.6 46.1 22.9 14.4 100.0 
			  Of which:   
			 Oxbridge   
			 Number 780 2,050 310 180 3,320 1,150 1,780 355 200 3,485 
			 Percentage 23.5 61.7 9.3 5.4 100.0 33.0 51.1 10.2 5.7 100.0 
			
			  2003/04   
			 All UK HEIs   
			 Number 16,390 77,240 48,515 21,380 163,525 13,785 50,695 41,940 22,145 128,565 
			 Percentage 10.0 47.2 29.7 13.1 100.0 10.7 39.4 32.6 17.2 100.0 
			  Of which:   
			 Russell Group   
			 Number 4,805 19,355 6,220 4,100 34,480 4,855 13,885 6,735 4,185 29,660 
			 Percentage 13.9 56.1 18.0 11.9 100.0 16.4 46.8 22.7 14.1 100.0 
			  Of which:   
			 Oxbridge   
			 Number 680 2,270 315 205 3,470 885 1,880 460 230 3,455 
			 Percentage 19.6 65.4 9.1 5.9 100.0 25.6 54.4 13.3 6.7 100.0 
			
			  2004/05   
			 All UK HEIs   
			 Number 17,580 80,130 50,145 24,630 172,485 14,885 52,640 42,455 23,900 133,880 
			 Percentage 10.2 46.5 29.1 14.3 100.0 11.1 39.3 31.7 17.9 100.0 
			  Of which:   
			 Russell Group   
			 Number 5,240 20,700 6,965 4,635 37,540 5,270 15,335 7,440 4,420 32,465 
			 Percentage 14.0 55.1 18.6 12.3 100.0 16.2 47.2 22.9 13.6 100.0 
			  Of which:   
			 Oxbridge   
			 Number 675 2,150 295 220 3,340 945 1,920 445 235 3,545 
			 Percentage 20.2 64.4 8.8 6.6 100.0 26.7 54.2 12.6 6.6 100.0 
			
			  2005/06   
			 All UK HEIs   
			 Number 19,160 83,180 50,925 25,615 178,880 15,665 54,050 43,325 24,060 137,100 
			 Percentage 10.7 46.5 28.5 14.3 100.0 11.4 39.4 31.6 17.5 100.0 
			  Of which:   
			 Russell Group   
			 Number 5,600 21,100 6,695 4,975 38,370 5,500 15,500 7,295 4,430 32,725 
			 Percentage 14.6 55.0 17.4 13.0 100.0 16.8 47.4 22.3 13.5 100.0 
			  Of which:   
			 Oxbridge   
			 Number 690 2,210 280 295 3,475 1,020 1,795 360 295 3,470 
			 Percentage 19.9 63.6 8.1 8.5 100.0 29.4 51.7 10.4 8.5 100.0 
			 (1 )Percentages are based upon all first degree qualifiers, not just those who obtain an honours qualification. (2) Includes students from the UK and Overseas. (3) Other includes Undivided Second Class Honours, Third Class Honours, Fourth Class Honours, Unclassified honours, Aegrotat, Pass, Ordinary and General Degree.  Note:  Figures are rounded to the nearest five.  Source:  Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

Departments: Aviation

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many flights to overseas destinations were taken by  (a) civil servants and  (b) Ministers in his Department in each of the last three calendar years; and what the total cost of such flights was.

Bill Rammell: Since 1999 the Government have published, on an annual basis, the total costs of all ministerial overseas travel and a list of all visits by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of 500. This information is available in the Library of the House. Information for the financial year 2006-07 is currently being compiled and will be published before the summer recess. All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers.
	Information requested on overseas travel undertaken by civil servants across the whole Department is not held centrally and could be provided only by incurring disproportionate cost.

Departments: Credit Cards

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much was spent by staff in his Department via departmental  (a) credit,  (b) procurement and  (c) fuel cards in each of the last three years.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department for Education and Skills spent the following amounts via departmental credit, procurement and fuel cards in each of the last three years.
	
		
			   Amount () 
			  2004/05  
			 Credit cards 3,102 
			 Procurement cards 342,329 
			 Fuel cards 29,205 
			   
			  2005/06  
			 Credit cards 5,734 
			 Procurement cards 328,261 
			 Fuel cards 62,328 
			   
			  2006/07  
			 Credit cards 26,955 
			 Procurement cards 384,062 
			 Fuel cards 51,369

Departments: Delivery Unit

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 4 June 2007,  Official Report, column 117W, on Departments: Delivery Unit, 
	(1)  what factors were taken into account in deciding to carry out a joint review of the Building Schools for the Future programme;
	(2)  if he will place in the Library copies of the terms of reference for the joint reviews of  (a) Building Schools for the Future,  (b) primary and secondary school standards,  (c) pupil attendance and  (d) pupil behaviour;
	(3)  what the findings were of the joint review of Building Schools for the Future.

Jim Knight: The reports and other associated documentation following joint PMDU reviews are confidential advice to Ministers and are not put into the public domain. This includes terms of reference and other documentation connected with the substance of the review.

Departments: Energy

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many energy saving lightbulbs were purchased by his Department for use on the departmental estate in  (a) 2005 and  (b) 2006.

Parmjit Dhanda: This information is not held within the Department.

Departments: Foreign Relations

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many Memoranda of Understanding are in force as a result of agreements with foreign governments entered into by Ministers in his Department; and what executive actions each entails.

Parmjit Dhanda: Ministers have signed a number of bilateral agreements, including some formal Memoranda of Understanding, with a number of countries, including Brazil, China, France and Germany. Most of these are typically based on collaboration in education and training, including the exchange of best policy practice, teacher and student mobility programmes and institutional partnerships. These are delivered largely, though not exclusively, through the British Council.

Departments: Home Working

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people in his Department have been allowed to work from home for part of the week in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement on his Department's policy on home working.

Parmjit Dhanda: The information requested is not collected centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	I can however confirm that home working is available to all staff in the Department for Education and Skills and currently 50 per cent. of staff can access the Department's IT infrastructure from home.

Departments: Marketing

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which advertising and marketing campaigns were run by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies in each of the last five years; which external agencies were involved; and what the cost was of each campaign.

Parmjit Dhanda: The information is as follows.
	 (a) The Department's central Advertising and Publicity Budget is used to fund a wide range of publicity activity, including advertising and marketing campaigns. Expenditure from this budget in the last five years is as follows:
	
		
			   000 
			 2002-03 14,091 
			 2003-04 16,943 
			 2004-05 12,489 
			 2005-06 9,391 
			 2006-07 10,686 
		
	
	In addition to expenditure from this central budget, individual departmental programme budgets are often used to fund marketing activity, including advertising. It is not possible, except at disproportionate cost, to separately identify all this activity. However, it is possible to itemise all the Department's spend on advertising, as this is centrally placed through the Central Office of Information. This is as follows:
	
		
			   000( 1) 
			  2002-03  
			 Adult Basic Skills 5,478 
			 Childcare Recruitment 2,741 
			 Aim Higher 2,645 
			 Connexions 1,320 
			 HE Funding 655 
			 Foundation Degree 549 
			 Total 13,790 
			   
			  2003-04  
			 Adult Basic Skills 6,673 
			 Aim Higher 4,190 
			 Childcare Recruitment 2,987 
			 Foundation Degrees 2,814 
			 Connexions 2,608 
			 Total 20,170 
			   
			  2004-05  
			 EMA 1,995 
			 Sure Start Month 127 
			 Adult Basic Skills Gremlins 4,247 
			 Teenage Pregnancy (DFES contribution) 980 
			 Student Finance 867 
			 DFES Classified/Recruitment Advertising 31 
			 EMA 1,559 
			 Fast Track Teaching 69 
			 Foundation Degrees 483 
			 DFES Childcare 281 
			 Need to Know 275 
			 Parents Centre 172 
			 Total 11,088 
			  2005-06  
			 EMA 1,261 
			 Teenage Pregnancy 1,081 
			 Childcare Recruitment 591 
			 Adult Basic Skills 1,570 
			 Student Finance 2,057 
			 Parents Centre 143 
			 Foundation Degrees 634 
			 Fast Track Teaching 18 
			 DirectGov Parenting Franchise 440 
			 DirectGov Education and Learning Franchise 85 
			 Need to Know 54 
			 Total 7,939 
			   
			  2006-07  
			 Student finance 2,476 
			 Adult basic Skills 1,805 
			 Teenage pregnancy 1,534 
			 Child care recruitment 405 
			 Children and Young people's workforce insert 45 
			 Total 6,265 
			 (1) Includes spend on advertising from within the central Advertising and Publicity Budget, included in the previous table. 
		
	
	The Department uses advertising as part of information campaigns to inform the public about how our policies affect them and how they can best take advantage of the educational and learning opportunities available to them. All of our campaigns follow the guidelines on propriety and value for money which apply to Government information.
	All of our advertising is commissioned through the Central Office of Information.
	 (b) Spend on advertising and marketing by Departmental agencies and non-departmental public bodies is not held centrally.

Departments: Official Visits

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which destinations he visited in an official capacity between 17 May and 17 June.

Alan Johnson: During the dates specified, I visited the following places in the UK in an official capacity.
	
		
			  Date visited  Destination 
			 21 May Bristol 
			 23 May Birmingham 
			 31 May Belfast 
			 8 June Leicester 
		
	
	Since 1999 the Government have published, on an annual basis, the total costs of all ministerial overseas travel and a list of all visits by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of 500. This information is available in the House Library. Information for the financial year 2006-07 is currently being compiled and will be published before the summer recess. All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers.

Departments: Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the current rate of employer contribution is to each public sector pension scheme for which his Department has responsibility; what the revenue impact would be of capping the employer contribution to each such scheme at 14 per cent.; and if he will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department's employer contribution for 2006-07 for each of the public sector pension schemes is as follows:
	
		
			
			 Classic 17,611,364.30 
			 Classic Plus/Premium 7,105,237.09 
		
	
	The information requested on what the revenue impact would be of capping the employer contribution to each such scheme at 14 per cent. is not retained centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Public Participation

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many public consultations his Department undertook in the last 12 months; and what the cost was of each consultation.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department for Education and Skills undertook 62 public consultations in the last 12 months. These consultations are listed in the following table.
	Information on the cost of each consultation could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Consultation  Published 
			  2006  
			 The Ofsted Child Register 6 July 
			 Financial Management Standard in SchoolsTimetable for all Schools 10 July 
			 Child Protection: Safer Recruitment and Vetting in the Education Service 17 July 
			 The Higher Education ProgrammeConsultation for Race Equality Impact Assessment Purposes 1 August 
			 Modernising the Regulatory Framework for Children's Social Services 4 August 
			 Childcare Sufficiency Assessments 14 August 
			 Regulations on Extension of the DDA 1995 to cover General Qualification Bodies 4 September 
			 Children Missing EducationDraft Statutory Guidance to Support Clause 4 of the Education and Inspections Bill 2006 7 September 
			 School Admissions Consultation 2006 8 September 
			 Consultation on Draft Regulations setting out the process for setting statutory targets for local authorities under the Childcare Act 2006 21 September 
			 Data Collection Regulation 21 September 
			 Information Sharing Index: Consultation on Draft Information Sharing Index (England) Regulations and Partial Regulatory Impact Assessment 21 September 
			 Further Education: Raising Skills, Improving Life Chances; the implications for race equality 29 September 
			 Childcare Act 2006Section 12 duty to provide information, advice and assistance 2 October 
			 Consultation on the Draft Employment Equality (sexual orientation) (religion or belief) Regulations 2006 4 October 
			 Care Matters: Transforming the Lives of Children and Young People in Care 9 October 
			 Young Person's Guide to the Care Matters Green Paper 9 October 
			 Amendments to Regulations Under Section 142 of the Education Act and the Childcare Disqualification Regulations Which Apply to Applications for Registration Made Under Part XA of the Children's Act 1989 13 October 
			 Supplementary Consultation on School Admissions 7 November 
			 Education and Inspections Act 2006: Consultation on School Organisation and Governance Regulations and Guidance 13 November 
			 Personalising Further Education: Developing a Vision 20 November 
			 International GCSEs in the Maintained Sector in England 23 November 
			 Definition of Full Time Education in Independent Schools 30 November 
			 Financial Benchmarking WebsiteIdentifying Schools by Name 5 December 
			 Education and Inspections Act 2006: Consultation on School Travel Guidance 11 December 
			 European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training 12 December 
			 Quality Standards for Young People's Information, Advice and Guidance 13 December 
			 Language Review 14 December 
			 Consultation on Regulations and Guidance on Management Committees for Pupil Referral Units 20 December 
			 Early Years Foundation Stage Learning and Development Requirements Order 20 December 
			   
			  2007  
			 Education and Inspections Act 2006: Consultation on Statutory Guidance on Schools Causing Concern 4 January 
			 Statutory Guidance on Section 6 Education and Inspection Act (Positive Activities for Young People) 5 January 
			 Delivering World Class Skills in a Demand Led System 5 January 
			 Making Good Progress 8 January 
			 Exemptions from Ofsted Childcare Registration 22 January 
			 Post 16 Progression Measure 29 January 
			 Consultation on Draft Regulations to Apply Section 62A of the Education Act 2002 to Pupil Referral Units 2 February 
			 Safeguarding Children from Abuse Linked to a Belief in Spirit Possession 2 February 
			 Securing Sufficient Childcare 7 February 
			 Skills Strategy Equality Impact Assessment 20 February 
			 Draft Guidance for School Staff: Screening or Searching Pupils for Weapons (Clause 45 in the Violent Crime Reduction Act) 20 February 
			 Consultation on Revised Exclusions Guidance - September 2007 23 February 
			 Review of the Regulations Requiring Schools Maintained by Local Authorities to Set Attendance Targets 26 February 
			 Consultation on School, Early Years and 14-16 Funding 2008-11 7 March 
			 Early Years Foundation Stage Learning and Development Exemptions 1 March 
			 DfES Guidance to Schools on School Uniform Related Policies 20 March 
			 Raising Expectations; Staying in Education and Training Post-16 22 March 
			 Consultation on New Charging Regulations for Music Tuition 28 March 
			 Children's Workforce Strategy 29 March 
			 Childcare Registration Requirements 4 April 
			 Education and Training for Young People in the Youth Justice System 4 April 
			 Increasing the Leaving AgeHave Your Say 25 April 
			 ContactPoint Consultation on Draft Guidance 4 May 
			 Consultation on Home Education Guidelines 8 May 
			 Guidance on the Duty to Promote Community Cohesion 8 May 
			 Consultation on Draft Amendments to the Education (Specified Work and Registration) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2003 made under the Education Act 2002 11 May 
			 The Education (National Curriculum) (Foundation Stage Early Learning Goals) (Amendment) (England) draft Order 2007 and The Education (National Curriculum) (Attainment Targets and Programmes of Study in English) (Amendment) (England) draft Order 2007 18 May 
			 Raising Standards Improving Outcomes: Draft Statutory Guidance on the Early Years Outcomes Duty 23 May 
			 Consultation on Proposed Changes to the Regulations and Guidance for the Induction of Newly Qualified Teachers (NQTs) 25 May 
			 Implementing Youth Matters: continuing the dialogue with young people 30 May 
			 Mandatory Collection of P Scales Data for Pupils with SEN 31 May 
			 Section 58 of Children Act 2004 Review (Consultation) 15 June

Departments: Publicity

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much was spent on advertising by  (a) the Department and  (b) its agencies in each of the last five years.

Alan Johnson: The amount spent on advertising in the last five years by the Department for Education and Skills is as follows;
	
		
			   Amount ( million) 
			 2002-03 13.790 
			 2003-04 20.170 
			 2004-05 11.088 
			 2005-06 7.939 
			 2006-07 6.265 
		
	
	The Department uses advertising as part of information campaigns to inform the public about how our policies affect them and how they can best take advantage of the educational and learning opportunities available to them.
	In 2006-07, these campaigns included:
	Information for young people and their parents about the financial help available to students taking higher education courses;
	Information for young people and their parents about drugs and their effects; and
	Information about sex and relationships as part of a campaign to help reduce rates of teenage pregnancy.
	Costs of advertising placed by the Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies are not held centrally.

Departments: Publicity

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much was spent by his Department on advertising in the last 12 months.

Alan Johnson: In 2006-07, the Department spent 6.265 million on advertising.
	The Department uses advertising as part of information campaigns to inform the public about how our policies affect them and how they can best take advantage of the educational and learning opportunities available to them.
	In 2006-07, these campaigns included:
	Information for young people and their parents about the financial help available to students taking higher education courses;
	Information for young people and their parents about drugs and their effects; and
	Information about sex and relationships as part of a campaign to help reduce rates of teenage pregnancy.

Departments: Recruitment

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much his Department and its agencies paid to recruitment consultants in each year since 1997.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department was established in June 2001. Some information is available for payments made by the Department as set out as follows. No information is collected centrally for payments of this type made by the Department's agencies.
	In 2002/03 recruitment consultants used to fill departmental posts were paid 584,976. In 2003/04 the amount paid was 335,321. Information was not collected in the same form in 2004/05 and 2005/06. In 2006/07 the amount paid in respect of recruitment to senior civil service posts only (the information for 2002/03 and 2003/04 relates to posts of all grades including SCS) in the Department was 354,144. Payments for the financial years 2004/05 and 2005/06, and the total payment for 2006/07 could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Remploy

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what (a) services and  (b) products his Department has procured from Remploy in the last 12 months; and at what cost.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department for Education and Skills has not procured services, products or made any payments to Remploy in the last 12 months.

Departments: Surveys

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many staff surveys his Department undertook in the last 12 months; and at what total cost.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department for Education and Skills has undertaken one full staff survey in the last 12 monthsin May 2007. The spend to date for this survey is 25,000. As the survey has only recently been completed there is an anticipated further expenditure of approximately 10,000 for data analysis and reporting.

Education: Sustainable Development

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what progress has been made on the European strategy for education for sustainable development.

Bill Rammell: In 2005, members of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) adopted a regional strategy for education for sustainable development. The objective of the strategy is to incorporate key themes of sustainable development in all education systems, including poverty alleviation, democracy, justice, human rights, environmental protection, and natural resource management. The Department adopted the UNECE SD strategy and this is reflected in Learning for the Futurethe DfES Sustainable Development Action Plan published in March 2006. UNECE is currently preparing an initial progress report on the implementation of the European strategy, and this will be presented at Sixth Ministerial Conference on Environment for Europe in Belgrade in October.

Foster Care

Dari Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what research his Department has evaluated on the reasons for breakdown of  (a) foster family units and  (b) families with an adopted child or children.

Parmjit Dhanda: As part of its Adoption Research Initiative, the Department for Education and Skills (DFES) is currently funding research into 'The characteristics, outcomes and meanings of four types of permanent placement'. This research is investigating the outcomes of placements for children, including the reasons for placement breakdowns. Its aim is to compare four types of permanent placement for looked after children: carer adoption, stranger adoption, long-term foster care and Special Guardianship. This work, which is being conducted by York University's Social Work Research and Development Unit, builds upon a recently completed DFES-funded study also undertaken by York University, which also includes a detailed analysis of the breakdown of placements. The current study is due to report to the Department in September 2008.

Free School Meals: City Academies

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average percentage is of the pupil intake in receipt of free school meals in each  (a) city technology college (CTC),  (b) academy CTC,  (c) academy and (d) category of specialist school.

Jim Knight: holding answer 19 June 2007
	The information requested is shown in the tables.
	Two sets of figures relating to the number and proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals are given in the school level table. The first includes all pupils in the school, regardless of their age. The second includes full time pupils aged up to (and including) 15 and part time pupils aged 5 to 15 (inclusive). This second coverage is as used in the Achievement and Attainment Tables and Ofsted's PANDA reports and provides consistent school level comparisons.
	
		
			  City technology colleges and academies: Number and percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free meals ,  January 2007( 1 ) schools in England 
			All pupils( 2)  Achievement and attainment tables( 3) 
			  Local  a uthority name  School name  Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals  Percentage  of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals  Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals  Percentage  of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 
			  City Technology Colleges  
			 Southwark Bacon's College 326 30.2 279 31.6 
			 Wandsworth ADT College 235 22.0 219 24.7 
			 Croydon BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology 100 11.7 31 11.4 
			 Solihull The City Technology College 310 20.0 238 19.8 
			 Gateshead Emmanuel College 70 5.7 65 6.7 
			 Kent The Leigh City Technology College 83 6.1 73 6.6 
			 Northamptonshire Brooke Weston CTC 46 4.0 36 3.9 
			 Telford and Wrekin Thomas Telford School 128 10.9 100 11.9 
			 Croydon Harris City Technology College 111 10.1 99 11.4 
			 South Gloucestershire John Cabot City Technology College n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			  Academies  
			 Liverpool The Academy of St. Francis of Assisi 312 47.1 312 47.1 
			 Greenwich St Paul's Academy 179 25.6 179 25.6 
			 Solihull Grace Academy 319 28.0 319 29.6 
			 Reading John Madejski Academy 151 29.1 150 30.4 
			 Bradford Dixons City Academy 79 7.2 59 7.2 
			 Westminster Paddington Academy 501 50.8 429 54.7 
			 Barnsley The Barnsley Academy 165 37.3 159 37.5 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham Burlington Danes Academy 167 20.6 167 20.6 
			 Sheffield Sheffield Park Academy 385 36.3 385 36.3 
			 Merton Harris Academy Merton 195 30.0 195 30.0 
			 Leeds David Young Community Academy 378 42.1 373 42.1 
			 Waltham Forest Walthamstow Academy 216 31.8 215 31.8 
			 Thurrock The Gateway Academy 297 36.3 296 36.2 
			 Haringey Greig City Academy 308 39.1 252 37.4 
			 Walsall Walsall Academy 96 11.4 82 12.0 
			 Middlesbrough Unity City Academy 466 45.0 466 45.0 
			 Bexley The Business Academy Bexley 394 35.9 368 36.6 
			 Bristol City of The City Academy Bristol 573 44.9 381 39.7 
			 Southwark City of London Academy (Southwark) 273 34.2 273 36.5 
			 Manchester Manchester Academy 408 50.0 400 51.2 
			 Brent Capital City Academy 373 35.4 318 35.1 
			 Nottingham Djanogly City Academy Nottingham 597 37.5 446 32.7 
			 Ealing West London Academy 394 46.3 326 44.2 
			 Hackney Mossboume Community Academy 249 40.6 249 40.6 
			 Hillingdon Stockley Academy 298 40.3 274 40.8 
			 Barnet London Academy 545 41.3 432 43.0 
			 Northamptonshire Northampton Academy 208 15.7 193 16.2 
			 Lambeth Lambeth Academy 229 43.0 229 43.0 
			 Sandwell Sandwell Academy 57 16.8 26 14.4 
			 Doncaster Trinity Academy 184 15.4 176 16.4 
			 Salford Salford City Academy 105 18.0 105 18.0 
			 Lewisham Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham College 293 21.3 181 17.5 
			 Derby Landau Forte College 99 9.6 88 11.2 
			 Kent The Marlowe Academy 197 29.1 187 31.5 
			 Hackney The Petchey Academy 86 47.8 86 47.8 
			 Liverpool North Liverpool Academy 448 39.1 406 41.1 
			 Westminster Westminster Academy 306 40.9 306 40.9 
			 Sheffield Sheffield Springs Academy 345 35.0 342 34.8 
			 Merton St Marks Church of England Academy 195 27.1 194 27.0 
			 Middlesbrough The King's Academy 273 25.3 257 26.3 
			 Southwark The Academy at Peckham 626 53.1 532 50.9 
			 Hillingdon The Harefield Academy 90 16.0 88 17.4 
			 Lewisham Haberdashers' Aske's Knights Academy 325 44.3 321 44.0 
			 Middlesbrough Macmillan Academy 377 25.5 293 25.8 
			 Southwark Harris Academy Bermondsey 533 60.6 532 60.6 
			 Southwark Harris Girls' Academy East Dulwich 314 40.5 312 40.6 
			 n/a = Not available. A return had not been received from this school at the time the data cut was taken.  (1) Provisional.  (2) Includes pupils with sole and dual registration of all ages.  (3) Includes pupils with sole and dual registration who are full time and aged 0 to 15 (inclusive) and those who are part time and aged 5 to 15 (inclusive).   Source:  School Census 
		
	
	
		
			  Maintained secondary schools by type of specialism( 1) :  N umber and percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals: January 2007( 2) 
			  Main  specialism of s chool  Number of pupils known t o be known to be eligible  for free school  Percentage  of pupils known to be eligible for free schools meals 
			 Arts 67,700 14.4 
			 Language 24,450 9.6 
			 Sports 52,390 14.4 
			 Technology 72,570 11.6 
			 Business and Enterprise 34,510 15.2 
			 Engineering 7,040 13.2 
			 Maths and Computing 29,900 11.6 
			 Science 31,710 10.1 
			 Science and Maths and Computing 730 5.7 
			 Science and Arts 190 10.0 
			 Science and Engineering 160 10.9 
			 Maths and Computing with Enterprise n/a n/a 
			 Maths and Computing and Engineering n/a n/a 
			 Technology and Engineering n/a n/a 
			 Business and Enterprise and Arts 390 10.0 
			 Music 2,190 10.3 
			 Humanities 11,530 12.9 
			 Arts and Humanities 80 8.5 
			 Arts and Language 530 41.2 
			 Arts and Technology 100 3.7 
			 Music and Maths and Computing 140 7.0 
			 Humanities and Maths and Computing 70 7.4 
			 Language and Business and Enterprise 230 15.0 
			 Sports and Arts 310 12.8 
			 Business and Enterprise and Humanities 220 5.5 
			 Arts and Science 450 6.5 
			 Business and Enterprise and Language 50 4.7 
			 Business and Enterprise and Sports 240 18.8 
			 Business and Enterprise and Maths and Computing 210 9.4 
			 Engineering and Technology 170 3.8 
			 Engineering and Business and Enterprise 30 3.0 
			 Engineering and Maths and Computing 110 17.6 
			 Engineering and Science 410 8.7 
			 Maths and Computing and Language 50 3.5 
			 Science and Sports 270 9.4 
			 Science and Maths and Computing n/a n/a 
			 Arts and Maths and Computing 90 8.3 
			 Business and Enterprise and Music 170 23.7 
			 Business and Enterprise and Science 360 15.0 
			 Business and Enterprise and Technology 140 26.0 
			 Humanities and Language 320 18.4 
			 Humanities and Music 80 3.5 
			 Humanities and Sports 140 9.5 
			 Language and Engineering 20 1.6 
			 Language and Music 100 13.0 
			 Language and Sports 120 10.5 
			 Science and Business and Enterprise 110 8.0 
			 Science and Humanities 180 4.0 
			 Science and Technology 130 15.4 
			 Technology and Humanities 370 29.5 
			 Technology and Language 100 6.8 
			 Technology and Sports 30 3.8 
			 Arts and Sports 170 8.4 
			 Humanities and Arts 930 23.1 
			 Humanities and Business and Enterprise 320 36.4 
			 Language and Arts 270 39.7 
			 Maths and Computing and Humanities 100 16.0 
			 Maths and Computing and Science 230 13.5 
			 Maths and Computing and Sports 90 7.1 
			 Sports and Maths and Computing 260 13.2 
			 Sports and Science 430 12.6 
			 Technology and Arts 690 21.2 
			 Technology and Music 50 6.5 
			 Total 345,050 12.4 
			 n/a = Not applicable, no schools of this type  (1) Includes middle schools as deemed.  (2) Includes dually registered and boarding pupils.   Source:  School Census

Free School Meals: West Lancashire

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of children attending  (a) denominational and  (b) maintained schools in the local education authority in West Lancashire constituency were entitled to receive free school dinners in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2005-06.

Jim Knight: The available information is given in the following tables:
	
		
			  Maintained nursery, primary, secondary, special schools and pupil referral units( 1, 2) : number and percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, position in January each year: 1997 and 2006 
			   West Lancashire parliamentary constituency 
			   1997  2006 
			   Number of day pupils( 3)  Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals  Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals  Number of day pupils( 4)  Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals  Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 
			 Maintained Nursery 79 0 0.0 72 0 0.0 
			 Maintained Primary 9,391 2,497 26.6 8,194 1,253 15.3 
			 Of which: denominational schools 5,527 1,185 21.4 5,216 578 11.1 
			 Maintained Secondary 6,212 1,391 22.4 6,163 914 14.8 
			 Of which: denominational schools 2,622 451 17.2 1,523 202 13.3 
			 Maintained Special 248 127 51.2 188 86 45.7 
			 Pupil Referral Units 22 14 63.6 79 12 15.2 
			 Total Maintained Schools 15,952 4,029 25.3 14,696 2,265 15.4 
		
	
	
		
			   England( 5) 
			   1997  2006 
			   Number of day pupils( 3)  Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals  Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals  Number of day pupils( 4)  Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals  Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 
			 Maintained Nursery 50,840 6,050 11.9 37,030 3,450 9.3 
			 Maintained Primary 4,428,620 938,540 21.2 4,150,590 666,890 16.1 
			 Of which: denominational schools 1,235,350 205,680 16.6 1,202,250 140,270 11.7 
			 Maintained Secondary 3,036,990 552,900 18.2 3,309,720 448,680 13.6 
			 Of which: denominational schools 604,780 91,460 15.1 527,040 61,840 11.7 
			 Maintained Special 89,450 38,810 43.4 86,850 28,870 33.2 
			 Pupil Referral Units 11,930 3,840 32.1 23,670 6,130 25.9 
			 Total Maintained Schools 7,617,830 1,540,140 20.2 7,607,860 1,154,010 15.2 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Excludes non-maintained special schools. (3) Includes pupils with sole and dual registration. Excludes boarders. (4) Includes pupils with sole and dual registration. Includes boarders. (5) National figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: School Census

Further Education: Finance

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the cost was of learner support funds for 16 to 18-year-olds in  (a) 2005-06 and  (b) 2006-07; and what the cost is expected to be in 2007-08.

Jim Knight: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council, who operate learner support schemes for 16 to 19-year-olds on behalf of the DfES and hold information on the costs involved in the schemes. Mark Haysom, the Council's chief executive, has written to the hon. Member with the information requested and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.
	 Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 23 June 2007:
	I am writing in response to your recent Parliamentary Question that asked, What the cost was of Learner Support Funds for 16 to 18 year olds in (a) 2005-06 and (b) 2006-07; and what the cost is expected to be in 2007-08.
	The amount of Discretionary Learner Support Fund used to support students aged 16-18 (16-18 Hardship, School Sixth Forms Hardship and 16-18 Residential Bursaries) is as follows:
	2005-06 40.6m (Actual Spend; 2005-06 Annual Accounts)
	2006-07 23.8m (Provisional Outturn)
	The over all Discretionary Learner Support Fund budget is available to support learners in both the 16-18 and 19 and over age groups. There is a high degree of flexibility in the budget and we are at an early stage in the year. We would not anticipate establishing the expected spend on discretionary LSF for learners aged 16-18 in 2007-08 until after the start of the academic year 2007/08.
	I hope that you find that this information answers your question.

GCSE: Languages

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students in Edmonton have taken GCSEs in modern languages in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: The information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

GCSE: Standards

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what proportion of pupils in maintained mainstream schools did not achieve  (a) five A* to C grades at GCSE including English and mathematics,  (b) five A* to G grades at GCSE,  (c) any grade above a D at GCSE and  (d) any GCSEs in the last school year, broken down by (i) gender (ii) ethnicity and (iii) receipt of free school meals.

Jim Knight: Information about the achievement of five grades A* to C at GCSE including English and maths pupils and the achievement of any qualifications by gender, ethnicity and eligibility for free school meals is available in the Library. It is also available at:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000693/index.shtml
	The other information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

GCSE: Standards

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills in how many maintained mainstream schools less than  (a) 50 per cent.,  (b) 30 per cent.,  (c) 25 per cent. and  (d) 10 per cent. of pupils achieved five A* to C grades at GCSE including English, maths and science at GCSE in the last school year for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: The information can be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, figures for all maintained schools can be found in the House of Commons Library in the reply to PQ 133245.
	Information on the achievements of pupils in schools can be found in the achievement and attainment tables and published statistics which are available in the Library, and on the Department's website at http://www.dfes .gov.uk/performancetables/ and http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000702/index.shtml

General Certificate of Secondary Education

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of pupils achieved five or more GCSE passes at GCSE including  (a) English and mathematics,  (b) English, mathematics and science and  (c) English, mathematics, science and a foreign language, broken down by (i) local authority, (ii) parliamentary constituency and (iii) local government ward.

Jim Knight: Information at local authority level is available in the Library. It is also published on the Department's website at
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000702/index.shtml
	Information for parliamentary constituencies and wards can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

General Certificate of Secondary Education

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils were entered for each  (a) GCSE and  (b) GNVQ subject in each academy in each of the last two years; and what grades were achieved in each category.

Jim Knight: In 2006, 3,539 pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 attended academies in England, an increase of 1,481 since 2005. The following table shows the GCSE attempts and achievements of pupils in academies in 2006 by subject.
	
		
			  GCSE attempts and achievements( 1)  in selected subjects of pupils at the end of key stage 4( 2)  in academies by the end of 2005/06( 3) 
			  N umber 
			  Revised statistics ( T housand) 
			   Attempted GCSE  Achieved grades A*-C  Achieved grades A*-G 
			   Boys  Girls  Total  Boys  Girls  Total  Boys  Girls  Total 
			 Any Subject 1,827 1,650 3,477 1,139 1,155 2,294 1,763 1,612 3,375 
			   
			 English/Mathematics 1,720 1,592 3,312 552 582 1,134 1,602 1,497 3,099 
			 Mathematics/Science 1,537 1,413 2,950 524 468 992 1,422 1,301 2,723 
			 English/Mathematics/Science 1,481 1,394 2,875 434 446 880 1,372 1,285 2,657 
			 English/Mathematics/Science and a Modern Language 521 569 1,090 179 258 437 508 553 1,061 
			   
			 English 1,730 1,599 3,329 679 806 1,485 1,647 1,541 3,188 
			 Mathematics 1,803 1,628 3,431 737 657 1,394 1,690 1,538 3,228 
			   
			 Any Science 1,542 1,420 2,962 591 541 1,132 1,447 1,330 2,777 
			 Single Award Science 454 443 897 66 75 141 412 404 816 
			 Double Award Science 854 752 1,606 409 347 756 813 709 1,522 
			 Physics 87 100 187 80 88 168 87 100 187 
			 Chemistry 107 133 240 81 99 180 106 133 239 
			 Biological Sciences 140 154 294 89 101 190 132 148 280 
			 Other Sciences 15 20 35 14 20 34 15 20 35 
			   
			 Any Design  Technology 1,074 898 1,972 435 552 987 1,005 868 1,873 
			 D  T: Electronic Products (4) (4) 40 (4) (4) 9 (4) (4) 37 
			 D  T: Food Technology 132 193 325 48 84 132 122 182 304 
			 D  T: Graphic Products 207 163 370 69 99 168 193 157 350 
			 D  T: Resistant Materials 498 253 751 202 167 369 468 249 717 
			 D  T: Systems  Control 50 26 76 32 24 56 45 26 71 
			 D  T: Textiles Technology 25 169 194 (4) (4) 101 23 160 183 
			 Other Design and Technology(4) 168 117 285 83 88 171 160 115 275 
			 Information Technology(5) 233 186 419 44 71 115 178 152 330 
			 Business Studies 167 140 307 87 85 172 153 136 289 
			 Home Economics 39 146 185 6 51 57 37 125 162 
			   
			 Geography 281 247 528 140 156 296 255 236 491 
			 History 353 327 680 190 186 376 329 321 650 
			 Humanities 17 8 25 (4) (4) (4) 14 8 22 
			 Social Studies 28 84 112 (4) (4) 39 23 73 96 
			 Music 166 132 298 83 67 150 153 126 279 
			   
			 Any Modern Language 577 635 1,212 291 398 689 570 628 1,198 
			 French 277 304 581 107 190 297 276 302 578 
			 German 146 149 295 82 98 180 145 149 294 
			 Spanish 87 137 224 43 83 126 86 135 221 
			 Italian 5 4 9 (4) (4) 4 5 4 9 
			 Other Modern Languages 99 94 193 79 60 139 93 89 182 
			   
			 Art and Design 437 544 981 197 352 549 426 528 954 
			 English Literature 1,161 1,207 2,368 558 710 1,268 1,104 1,156 2,260 
			 Drama 231 298 529 97 144 241 210 261 471 
			 Media/Film/TV 171 195 366 106 139 245 171 191 362 
			 Communication Studies 7 8 15 (4) (4) 6 7 8 15 
			 Classical Studies 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Physical Education 472 271 743 243 102 345 472 263 735 
			 Religious Studies 217 231 448 127 159 286 213 228 441 
			 Any other subjects 55 63 118 26 18 44 46 51 97 
			 (1) For each subject only one attempt is counted--that which achieved the highest grade. (2) Pupils at the end of key stage 4 in the 2005/06 academic year. (3 )Includes attempts and achievements by these pupils in previous academic years. (4 )Figures are suppressed due to small numbers. (5 )Includes all other combined syllabus of which Design and Technology is the major part. (6)Also includes Computer Studies, Information Systems and any combined syllabus of which Information Technology is the major part. 
		
	
	The following table shows the GNVQ attempts and achievements of pupils in academies by subject:
	
		
			  GNVQ attempts and achievements of pupils at the end of key stage 4( 1)  in academies, by subject by the end of 2005/06( 2: ) Revised statistics 
			   Attempted full intermediate GNVQ  Achieved full intermediate GNVQ 
			   Boys  Girls  Total  Boys  Girls  Total 
			 All Subjects 781 687 1,468 595 583 1,178 
			
			 Art and Design 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Business 34 47 81 31 45 76 
			 Health and Social Care (3) (3) 61 (3) (3) 56 
			 Leisure and Tourism 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Manufacturing 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Construction 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Hospitality and Catering (3) (3) 6 (3) (3) 6 
			 Science 169 136 305 108 104 212 
			 Engineering (3) (3) 34 (3) (3) 23 
			 Information Technology 531 417 948 430 364 794 
			 Media: Communication and Production 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Land and Environment 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Performing Arts 12 21 33 (3) (3) 11 
		
	
	
		
			   Attempted full foundation GNVQ  Achieved full foundation GNVQ 
			   Boys  Girls  Total  Boys  Girls  Total 
			 All Subjects 15 7 22 10 6 16 
			
			 Art and Design 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Business 10 0 10 7 0 7 
			 Health and Social Care (3) (3) (3) (3) (3) (3) 
			 Leisure and Tourism 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Manufacturing 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Construction 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Hospitality and Catering 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Science (3) (3) (3) (3) (3) (3) 
			 Engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Information Technology (3) (3) (3) 0 0 0 
			 Media: Communication and Production 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Land and Environment 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Performing Arts 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 (1) Pupils at the end of key stage 4 in the 2005/06 academic year. (2) Includes attempts and achievement by these pupils in previous academic years. (3) Figures are suppressed due to small numbers. 
		
	
	The following table shows the GCSE attempts and achievements of pupils in academies in 2005 by subject.
	
		
			  GCSE attempts and achievements( 1)  in selected subjects of pupils at the end of key stage 4( 2)  in academies by the end of 2004/05( 3) 
			  N umbers 
			  Final statistics ( T housand) 
			   Attempted GCSE  Achieved grades A*-C  Achieved grades A*-G 
			   Boys  Girls  Total  Boys  Girls  Total  Boys  Girls  Total 
			 Any Subject 1,029 1,005 2,034 575 623 1,198 1,001 976 1,977 
			   
			 English/Mathematics 958 932 1,890 158 184 342 858 837 1,695 
			 Mathematics/Science 788 748 1,536 166 138 304 696 631 1,327 
			 English/Mathematics/Science 763 726 1,489 117 115 232 668 611 1,279 
			 English/Mathematics/Science and a Modern Language 170 238 408 35 57 92 154 214 368 
			   
			 English 975 958 1,933 241 352 593 902 906 1,808 
			 Mathematics 1,007 970 1,977 265 240 505 920 880 1,800 
			   
			 Any Science 799 764 1,563 222 175 397 721 675 1,396 
			 Single Award Science 281 230 511 49 24 73 253 197 450 
			 Double Award Science 477 505 982 144 133 277 432 454 886 
			 Physics 36 25 61 23 14 37 36 24 60 
			 Chemistry 36 25 61 21 14 35 35 24 59 
			 Biological Sciences 36 26 62 25 18 43 36 24 60 
			   
			 Any Design  Technology 587 421 1,008 140 167 307 520 381 901 
			 D  T: Food Technology 42 137 179 9 56 65 35 128 163 
			 D  T: Graphic Products 191 63 254 29 24 53 154 54 208 
			 D  T: Resistant Materials 328 133 461 95 50 145 297 116 413 
			 Information Technology(5) 88 48 136 18 10 28 66 40 106 
			 Business Studies 104 72 176 44 25 69 87 67 154 
			   
			 Geography 212 147 359 48 48 96 182 131 313 
			 History 124 116 240 39 61 100 106 114 220 
			 Humanities 77 105 182 20 30 50 60 94 154 
			 Social Studies 39 114 153 19 31 50 37 94 131 
			 Music 65 81 146 11 25 36 50 76 126 
			   
			 Any Modern Language 229 306 535 120 159 279 220 294 514 
			 French 94 187 281 32 81 113 90 182 272 
			 German 18 22 40 8 12 20 18 22 40 
			 Spanish 43 59 102 18 36 54 42 57 99 
			 Other Modern Languages 98 78 176 76 60 136 94 72 166 
			   
			 Art and Design 279 316 595 145 192 337 274 306 580 
			 English Literature 702 722 1,424 222 314 536 622 687 1,309 
			 Drama 117 165 282 52 78 130 107 153 260 
			 Media/Film/TV 84 84 168 26 33 59 73 63 136 
			 Physical Education 332 163 495 101 47 148 325 163 488 
			 Religious Studies 30 66 96 10 28 38 26 60 86 
			 (1) For each subject only one attempt is countedthat which achieved the highest grade. (2) Pupils at the end of key stage 4 in the 2004/05 academic year. (3 )Includes attempts and achievements by these pupils in previous academic years. (4 )Includes all other combined syllabus of which Design and Technology is the major part. (5 )Also includes Computer Studies, Information Systems and any combined syllabus of which Information Technology is the major part. 
		
	
	The following table shows the GNVQ attempts and achievements of pupils in academies by subject.
	
		
			  GNVQ attempts and achievements of pupils at the end of key stage 4( 1)  in academies, by subject by the end of 2004/05( 2: ) Revised statistics 
			   Attempted full intermediate GNVQ  Achieved full intermediate GNVQ 
			   Boys  Girls  Total  Boys  Girls  Total 
			 All subjects 520 501 1,021 355 374 729 
			 Art and Design (3) (3) 10 (3) (3) 10 
			 Business 32 53 85 20 42 62 
			 Health and Social Care 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Leisure and Tourism 9 13 22 9 11 20 
			 Manufacturing 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Construction 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Hospitality and Catering (3) (3) 11 (3) (3) 10 
			 Science 188 180 368 110 117 227 
			 Engineering 16 0 16 0 0 0 
			 Information Technology 271 229 500 212 180 392 
			 Media: Communication and Production 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Land and Environment 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Performing Arts (3) (3) 9 (3) (3) 8 
		
	
	
		
			   Attempted full foundation GNVQ  Achieved full foundation GNVQ 
			   Boys  Girls  Total  Boys  Girls  Total 
			 All subjects 16 21 37 8 8 16 
			
			 Art and Design 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Business 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Health and Social Care 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Leisure and Tourism (3) (3) 4 (3) (3) (3) 
			 Manufacturing 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Construction 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Hospitality and Catering 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Science (3) (3) 12 (3) (3) 9 
			 Engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Information Technology 12 9 21 5 0 5 
			 Media: Communication and Production 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Land and Environment 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Performing Arts 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 (1) Pupils at the end of key stage 4 in the 2004/05 academic year. (2) Includes attempts and achievement by these pupils in previous academic years. (3) Figures are suppressed due to small numbers. 
		
	
	Equivalent figures for each individual academy can be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

Higher Education: Admissions

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students went to university from a  (a) state comprehensive school,  (b) state grammar school,  (c) state secondary modern school,  (d) other state secondary school,  (e) further education college,  (f) state sixth form college and  (g) independent school or college in each of the last four years for which figures are available.

Bill Rammell: The latest available information is shown in the table. The figures are taken from data collected by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) which are limited to students who apply to full-time undergraduate courses via the UCAS application system. The figures do not therefore cover part-time students, nor those full-time students who apply directly to Higher Education Institutions.
	
		
			  Applicants from England accepted to full-time undergraduate courses in the UK 
			   Year of entry 
			  Previous school type  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Comprehensive 62,818 63,749 70,454 70,529 
			 Grammar 10,632 11,127 12,056 11,558 
			 Other maintained(1) 18,510 18,948 20,740 19,435 
			 FE/HE college 65,893 65,931 68,228 79,105 
			 Sixth form college 33,347 33,792 37,971 37,597 
			 Independent school 27,688 28,303 28,765 27,754 
			 Other 2,888 3,080 3,433 5,090 
			 Unknown 55,104 52,149 60,151 38,161 
			 Total 276,930 277,079 301,798 289,229 
			 (1) Includes Other maintained and Sixth Form Centres. The information published by UCAS does not identify secondary modern schools separately.  Source: Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS)

Higher Education: Lancashire

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students from West Lancashire were allocated a university place in each year since 1997.

Bill Rammell: The latest available information is shown in the table. Figures for 2006/07 will be available in January 2008.
	
		
			  Entrants( 1, 2 ) to undergraduate courses from West Lancashire parliamentary constituency, UK higher education institutions( 3) , academic years 1997/98 to 2005/06 
			  Academic year  Number 
			 1997/98 745 
			 1998/99 845 
			 1999/2000 910 
			 2000/01 855 
			 2001/02 910 
			 2002/03 905 
			 2003/04 1,010 
			 2004/05 930 
			 2005/06 1,035 
			 (1) Covers students on full-time and part-time modes of study. (2) Position at 1 December each year. (3) Excludes the Open university.  Note: All figures are rounded to the nearest five.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), 
		
	
	The figures are based on students enrolled at 1 December in each year because these are the only figures available on a comparable basis in each year since 1997.

Languages: China

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many higher education institutions have offered degrees in Chinese; and what the total number of students in each of the last 10 years has been.

Bill Rammell: The latest information available from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) website shows that there are 23 higher education institutions in the United Kingdom offering courses in Chinese studies for the 2007 year of entry. UCAS only hold data on full-time undergraduate courses.
	The latest information on the number of students enrolled on courses coded as Chinese studies is shown in the following table. Comparable figures for 2006-07 will be available in January 2008.
	
		
			  Number of students enrolled on Chinese studies courses( 1)  by Level of study UK higher education institutions academic years 1996-97 to 2005-06 
			   Level of study  
			   Postgraduate  Undergraduate  Total 
			 1996/97 30 620 650 
			 1997/98 30 600 630 
			 1998/99 35 595 630 
			 1999/2000 40 565 600 
			 2000/01 40 535 575 
			 2001/02 55 560 615 
			 2002/03(2) 120 740 860 
			 200/04(2) 155 780 935 
			 2004/05(2) 175 935 1,110 
			 2005/06(2) 210 1,130 1,340 
			 (1 )The figures stated for those studying Chinese courses is likely to be an undercount. Some institutions which offer Chinese courses do so as part of a wider foreign languages course and the detail of the individual languages studied are not recorded on the HESA student record.  (2 )In 2002/03 the coding frame and the method of recording subject of study was changed. The Joint Academic Classification Scheme (JACS) was introduced which although similar to the previous coding frame, is not directly comparable. Additionally, figures are on a full person equivalent basis whereby a student is apportioned between each of their subjects of study.   Notes:  Figures are on a snapshot basis as at 1 December and are rounded to the nearest five.   Source:  Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

Languages: China

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much  (a) his Department and  (b) the Higher Education Funding Council for England has allocated to universities for the teaching of Chinese in each of the last four years for which figures are available.

Bill Rammell: We have increased funding for Higher Education by over 20 per cent. in real terms since we took office and now spend over 10 billion a year. However, the vast majority of funding is not ringfenced by either my Department or HEFCE for particular subjects but is demand led and allocated on the basis of student numbers. On that basis, about 3 million each year is made available to support students studying Chinese language and linguistics. However, we have consistently recognised that Chinese is an important subject and HEFCE has allocated an additional 1 million a year as special funding to support Chinese between 1999-2000 and 2003-04 as a special initiative for Chinese studies to ensure that we maintain capacity in this subject.

Literacy: Standards

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills in how many maintained mainstream schools  (a) less than 50 per cent. of pupils,  (b) less than 40 per cent. of pupils,  (c) less than 30 per cent. of pupils and  (d) less than 25 per cent. of pupils do not achieve the expected level in English at key stage 3.

Jim Knight: The information requested can be derived from the achievement and attainment tables which are available in the Library.

Mandarin: General Certificate of Secondary Education

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the  (a) availability and  (b) take-up was of GCSE Mandarin in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The information requested for part  (a) is not held centrally. The information to part  (b) is available only at a disproportionate cost.

Mothers: Finance

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much of the Learning and Skills Council 4 million budget for young mothers to be available from 1 April 2007 has been allocated to the Wirral.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 22 May 2007
	 The Learning and Skills Council has made 4 million available nationally, in the financial year 2007-08 to support a range of programmes for young parents and young parents to be. A total of 124,688 has been allocated to the Merseyside area. This has not been further allocated to local authority level.

Nurseries: Non-domestic Rates

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will estimate the amount that private, voluntary and independent nurseries in England pay in  (a) business rates,  (b) VAT and  (c) Ofsted inspection fees per year.

Beverley Hughes: The information is not available in the form requested.

Nursery Schools: Lancashire

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many nursery school places were available in West Lancashire in  (a) 1996-97 and  (b) 2006-07.

Beverley Hughes: The available information is shown in the tables.
	Table 1 provides information about the part-time equivalent number of free early education places filled by three and four-year-olds in West Lancashire parliamentary constituency area. Data are provided for 2006 only because data are not available at constituency level for 1997.
	
		
			  Table 1: Part-time equivalent number of free early education places( 1, 2, 3)  filled by three and four year olds in West Lancashire parliamentary constituency area, position in January 2006 
			   3-year- olds  4-year- olds 
			   Maintained nursery and primary schools( 4)  Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers( 5)  Total 3- year - olds  Maintained nursery and primary schools( 4)  Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers( 5)  Total 3- year - olds 
			 2006 380 480 850 850 180 1,000 
			 (1) A place is equal to five or more sessions and can be filled by more than one child. (2) Figures are rounded to the nearest 100 if they exceed 1,000 and to the nearest 10 otherwise. (3) Prior to 2004, information on early education places was derived from returns made by local authorities as part of the Nursery Education Grant (NEG) data collection exercise. These data were collected at local authority level, therefore, data for this parliamentary constituency for 1996-97 are not available. (4) Headcount of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the School Census. (5) Part-time equivalent number of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the School Census. (6) Headcount of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the School Census. (7) Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the School Census. 
		
	
	Table 2 provides information for 2007 about the part-time equivalent number of free early education places filled by three and four year olds for Lancashire local authority area.
	
		
			  Table 2: Part-time equivalent number of free early education places( 1, 2)  filled by three and four year olds in Lancashire local authority area, position in January 2007 
			   3 year olds  4 year olds 
			   Maintained nursery and primary schools( 3)  Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers( 4)  Total 3-year-olds  Maintained nursery and primary schools( 5)  Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers( 6)  Total 4-year-olds 
			 2007 3,700 7,200 10,800 9,100 2,600 11,700 
			 (1) A place is equal to five or more sessions and can be filled by more than one child. (2) Figures are rounded to the nearest 100 if they exceed 1,000 and to the nearest 10 otherwise. (3) Headcount of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the School Census. (4) Part-time equivalent number of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the School Census. (5) Headcount of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the School Census. (6) Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the School Census. 
		
	
	The latest figures on early education places for three and four-year-olds in England were published in Statistical First Release (SFR) 19/2007 Provision for children under five years of age in England: January 2007, available on my Department's website at www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/.

Nursery Schools: Standards

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether he has undertaken an assessment of the impact of regulations applying to the provision of nursery education which have been introduced since 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: Successive Codes of Practice on the free early education entitlement for three and four-year-olds have had a substantial impact on the lives of our youngest children. 96 per cent. of three and four-year-olds now take up at least some early education, with the substantial developmental benefits that provides.
	We consulted widely on the 2006 Code of Practicewith the responses showing both support for the free entitlement and for its extension to 38 weeks. We adjusted our proposals in response to comments about aspects of the extension which some nursery providers would have found difficult to meet.

Part-Time Education: North East Region

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many part-time students registered for higher education courses at  (a) Newcastle College,  (b) Northumbria University and  (c) Newcastle University in each year from 1997 to 2005.

Bill Rammell: The number of students enrolled on part-time higher education courses for each year since 1997/98 is given in the table.
	
		
			  Number of students enrolled on part-time higher education courses at Newcastle College, the University of Northumbria at Newcastle and the University of Newcastle ,  academic years 1997/98 to 2005/06 
			   Institution 
			  Academic year  Newcastle College( 1)  The University of Northumbria at Newcastle( 2)  The University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne( 2) 
			 1997/98 n/a 5,675 4,015 
			 1998/99 n/a 6,970 3,850 
			 1999/2000 n/a 6,750 4,340 
			 2000/01 n/a 6,325 4,215 
			 2001/02 n/a 6,475 4,215 
			 2002/03 655 7,135 2,530 
			 2003/04 930 6,940 1,540 
			 2004/05 915 6,435 1,290 
			 2005/06 970 7,025 1,280 
			 n/a = Figures given relating to study in English Further Education colleges are based upon the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) Individualised Learner Record (ILR). The FE ILR was collated for the first time in 2002/03 and figures are presented from that time. (1) Learning and Skills Council (LSC) figures are on a snapshot basis as at 1 November (Source). (2 )Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) figures are on a snapshot basis as at 1 of December (Source).  Note: All figures are rounded to the nearest five.

Pathways to Work

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the costs of the Pathways study have been to date; what further expenditure on the study is planned; and how many staff in his Department are working on the study.

Jim Knight: There are two current studies funded by the Department which are looking at aspects of pathways. These are:
	1. Predicting Adult Life Outcomes from earlier signals: Modelling pathways through childhood. The total cost of this project is 20,450. No further expenditure is planned.
	2. Adoption initiative: Pathways to permanence for children of Black, Asian and Mixed parentage: Dilemmas, Decision Making and Outcomes. The total cost of this is 341,952. No further expenditure is planned.
	Both these projects have been contracted to external academic research bodies. One member of staff is involved in managing these external projects.

Pre-school Education: Finance

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 17 May 2007,  Official Report, columns 856-8W, on pre-school education: finance, how much funding each local authority provided to nursery providers in each of the last two years.

Beverley Hughes: The information requested is not collected centrally. Local authoritiesin consultation with their School Forumsare responsible for deciding how best to apply their total school and early years funding across all age groups and between different types of provider, based on an assessment of local circumstances. It is a matter for each local authority to determine the levels of funding for providers in their area. The Schools, Early Years and 14-16 Funding consultation which closed on 1 June set out a number of proposals for changes to the way the early years funding system operates. Ministers expect to announce final decisions over the summer, in the light of responses to the consultation.

Primary Education: Voluntary Work

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what schemes exist for unpaid volunteers or other unpaid helpers to provide support or one-to-one help in primary schools.

Jim Knight: We encourage schools to draw on the services of parents and other volunteers through strong links with parents, the local community and others. We know that schools receive a vast amount of help through parents giving up their time. We do not collect data from schools about this sort of activity. The specific schemes or organisations which we support are:
	Volunteer Reading Help, a charity which places trained volunteers in primary schools to help young disadvantaged children with reading.
	The Workers Educational Association (WEA) makes a valuable contribution to training parents who left school with few or no qualifications as classroom volunteers.
	The National Literacy Trust (which delivers the National Reading Campaign) provides a list of voluntary organisations who work with schools.

Private Education: Charities

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will place in the Library a copy of his submission to the Charity Commission on review of public benefit concerning independent schools.

Jim Knight: The Charity Commission will be publishing a summary of responses to their public consultation on draft public benefit guidance later this year. We will place a copy of DfES's response in the House Library when the consultation response is published.

Private Finance Initiative: Finance

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the value is of the unitary payments of each private finance initiative scheme overseen by his Department over the lifetime of the contract expressed in 2007-08 prices and discounted to present value.

Jim Knight: Information on schools private finance initiative contracts, including balance sheet treatment and unitary charges, is included in HM Treasury's PFI Signed Projects List, which is available through:
	www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/documents/public_private_partnerships/ppp_pfi_stats
	This is a working document containing information on current signed PFI projects. It is updated on a 6-monthly basis to reflect the updates HM Treasury receives from Departments at Budget and pre-Budget report.

Pupils: Hay Fever

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the merits of changing the timings of  (a) GCSE and  (b) A-level examinations, with particular reference to the effect on seasonal allergic rhinitis sufferers.

Jim Knight: It is the responsibility of an independent body, the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ), to timetable GCSE and A-level examinations on behalf of the awarding bodies. The JCQ seeks to take into account a range of different conditions and circumstances which can affect performance in examinations. Under present arrangements, candidates who suffer from hay fever on the day of an examination may apply via their examination centre for special consideration, which can result in an increase in their marks by up to 2 per cent., depending on the circumstances.

Pupils: Hyperactivity

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what steps he has taken to provide students affected by attention deficit hyperactivity disorder with an education programme which meets their particular needs;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues in the Department of Health on research and best practices in the treatment of young people affected by attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Parmjit Dhanda: Schools must have regard to the SEN Code of Practice (2001). The Code recognises four main areas of Special Educational Need (SEN). These include (i) cognition and learning (ii) behavioural, emotional and social development (iii) communication and interaction and (iv) sensory and/or physical needs. Pupils with a range of difficulties including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) fall within the overall descriptor of BESD.
	The monitoring of individual children's progress is set out in the Code through the graduated approach. This is a model of action and intervention in schools and early years education settings to help children who have SEN. The approach recognises that there is a continuum of special educational needs and that, where necessary, increasing specialist expertise should be brought to bear on the difficulties that a child may be experiencing. The graduated approach is applicable to the identification, assessment and provision for children and young people with BESD. Chapters 4, 5, 6 and 7 of the Code explain in detail this approach and the additional support that may be needed at School Action and School Action Plus.
	Although research and best practice in the medical treatment of children with ADHD falls to the Department of Health (DH), Ministers from DfES and DH meet regularly to discuss how outcomes for the physical, mental and emotional health of children and young people can be improved.

Pupils: Injuries

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schoolchildren were injured whilst at work in England in each of the last four years.

Anne McGuire: I have been asked to reply.
	For each of the years 2002 to 2006 HSE has received the following number of RIDDOR reports of accidents to persons aged 1-15 years, described as being an employee or trainee.
	
		
			   Number 
			 2002/03 17 
			 2003/04 29 
			 2004/05 23 
			 2005/06 34 
			 Total 103 
		
	
	For each of the years 2002 to 2006 HSE has received the following number of RIDDOR reports of accidents to persons aged 1-17 years, described as being on work experience.
	
		
			   Number 
			 2002/03 11 
			 2003/04 33 
			 2004/05 36 
			 2005/06 42 
			 Total 122 
		
	
	HSE is aware of the rising number of reportable incidents and is undertaking work to establish the possible causes for the increase before deciding on the appropriate action to take.

Qualifications

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what  (a) mechanisms and  (b) data are provided to employers for the purposes of checking the authenticity of academic qualifications claimed by job applicants.

Phil Hope: The National Database of Accredited Qualifications (www.accreditedqualifications.org.uk) is a free tool that any individual can use to check that a qualification is accredited by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA). Only awarding bodies that have been recognised by QCA are able to submit qualifications for accreditation. Should an employer wish to check the authenticity of a certificate and qualification in respect of a specific individual, the usual process is to send a copy of the certificate to the issuing awarding body which will then confirm that the certificate was issued to the person named on the certificate and the name matches the certificate number.
	As for HE qualifications, employers would be expected to check with the HE institution concerned.

Research: Israel

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many UK-Israel research collaborations are supported by  (a) EU and  (b) European Science Foundation funding; and what the value is of such funding.

Malcolm Wicks: I have been asked to reply.
	The European Commission is responsible for providing member states with data on the implementation of the Framework Programme. The Sixth Framework Programme (FP6) covered the years 2003 to 2007. The latest FP6 data provided by the European Commission cover all projects where a contract has been signed up to July 2006. The data provided by the Commission show that there were 262 signed contracts where there were participants from both the UK and Israel. These contracts have been awarded funding of 1.5 billion.
	The European Science Foundation (ESF) UK member organisations are the seven Research Councils and the British Academy. ESF does not provide information on research collaborations to members; this is not part of their reporting procedures.

Schools: Crimes of Violence

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many teachers and teaching assistants have been assaulted in each region of England in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The number of incidents of assaults towards staff in schools is not collected centrally.
	From the academic year 2003/04, information is available on the reasons for pupil exclusions. These reasons include
	'physical assault against an adult'.
	Local authority level tables (including Government office region) showing the number of permanent and fixed period exclusions by reason are available in the House Library.

Schools: Ethnic Groups

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of ethnic minority pupils attend  (a) Catholic schools,  (b) Church of England schools,  (c) maintained comprehensive schools without a religious character and  (d) grammar schools in (i) Birmingham, (ii) Solihull, (iii) West Midlands and (iv) England.

Jim Knight: The information requested is shown in the tables.
	
		
			  Maintained secondary schools: Number and percentage of minority( 1,2)  ethnic pupils by religious character of school: January 2007( 3 ) England 
			   Birmi n g ham local authority  Solihull local authority 
			   Number of minority ethnic pupils( 4)  Percentage  of minority ethnic pupils( 5)  All pupils( 6)  Number of minority ethnic pupils( 4)  Percentage  of minority ethnic pupils( 5)  All pupils( 6) 
			 No religious character 29,970 53.0 56,540 1,600 13.5 11,840 
			 Church of England 390 90.7 430 0 0.0 0 
			 Roman Catholic 2,800 33.6 8,330 410 17.4 2,360 
			 Methodist 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 
			 Christian 2,370 54.4 4,360 0 0.0 0 
			 Jewish 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 
			 Muslim 280 100.0 280 0 0.0 0 
			 Sikh 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 
			 Other 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 
			 Total 35,810 51.2 69,950 2,010 14.2 14,190 
		
	
	
		
			   West Midlands  Government Office r egion  England 
			   Number of minority ethnic pupils( 4)  Percentage  of minority ethnic pupils( 5)  All pupils( 6)  Number of minority ethnic pupils( 4)  Percentage  of minority ethnic pupils( 5)  All pupils( 6) 
			 No religious character 63,690 20.5 310,940 467,740 17.1 2,743,350 
			 Church of England 3,350 18.7 17,920 31,450 18.3 172,160 
			 Roman Catholic 6,700 19.1 35,130 71,710 22.6 317,970 
			 Methodist 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 
			 Christian 2,370 54.4 4,360 5,130 18.4 27,810 
			 Jewish 0 0.0 0 1,050 17.3 6,080 
			 Muslim 280 100.0 280 1,180 98.5 1,200 
			 Sikh 0 0.0 0 500 100.0 500 
			 Other 0 0.0 0 290 98.6 290 
			 Total 76,390 20.7 368,630 579,050 17.7 3,269,370 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed.  (2) Pupils of compulsory school age and above are classified according to ethnic group.  (3) Provisional. 4 Includes all pupils classified by ethnic group except those classified as white British.  (5) Ethnic minority pupils expressed as a percentage of all pupils of compulsory school age and above.  (6) All pupils of compulsory school age and above.   Source:  School Census 
		
	
	
		
			  Maintained secondary schools: Number and percentage of minority ethnic pupils by intake type of school ( 1,2) : January( 3) 
			   Birmingham local authority  Solihull local authority 
			   Number of minority ethnic pupils( 4)  Percentage  of minority ethnic pupils( 5)  All pupils( 6)  Number of minority ethnic pupils( 4)  Percentage  of minority ethnic pupils( 5)  All pupils( 6) 
			 Comprehensive(7) 31,110 51.4 60,550 2,010 14.2 14,190 
			 Selective (Grammar) 3,970 55.1 7,210 0 0.0 0 
			 Selective (Secondary Modern) 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 
			 Selective (Technical) 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 
			 Selective (Religion) 730 33.3 2,190 0 0.0 0 
			 Total 35,810 51.2 69,950 2,010 14.2 14,190 
		
	
	
		
			   West Midlands Government Office Region  England 
			   Number of minority ethnic pupils( 4)  Percentage  of minority ethnic pupils( 5)  All pupils( 6)  Number of minority ethnic pupils( 4)  Percentage  of minority ethnic pupils( 5)  All pupils( 6) 
			 Comprehensive(7) 68,460 20.2 339,080 499,850 17.4 2,874,580 
			 Selective (Grammar) 5,600 37.3 15,010 31,800 20.3 156,810 
			 Selective (Secondary Modern) 320 7.1 4,490 15,390 12.7 121,180 
			 Selective (Technical) 0 0.0 0 130 4.7 2,720 
			 Selective (Religion) 2,010 20.0 10,060 31,880 27.9 114,070 
			 Total 76,390 20.7 368,630 579,050 17.7 3,269,370 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed.  (2) Pupils of compulsory school age and above are classified according to ethnic group.  (3) Provisional.  (4) Includes all pupils classified by ethnic group except those classified as white British  (5) Ethnic minority pupils expressed as a percentage of all pupils of compulsory school age and above.  (6) All pupils of compulsory school age and above.  (7) Includes one comprehensive school which reported intake type as grammar   Source:  School Census

Schools: Internet

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the numbers of  (a) primary schools and  (b) secondary schools who have installed Wi-Fi technology; what his policy is on the use of such equipment; and what research he has (i) commissioned and (ii) evaluated on the potential effects on the health of school children arising from the installation of this technology.

Jim Knight: Becta lead on this area for the Department and advise that in their ICT equipment in schools 2005 survey (published March 2006) of the 556 schools surveyed, 128 primary schools (41.03 per cent.) and 154 secondary schools (70.97 per cent.) made use of wireless networking.
	Becta recommends that while secure wireless networks can complement an institution's wired network, they should not replace it. Advice and guidance for schools on wireless networking is available through their website.
	Becta has been in contact with the Health Protection Agency (HPA)the Government agency responsible for health and safetyto obtain the latest guidance on health issues relating to wireless technology. The HPA reports that there is no consistent evidence of health effects from RF exposures below guideline levels. Becta therefore believes that there is no reason why schools and others should not use wi-fi equipment to benefit from the flexibility these technologies can provide.

Schools: Standards

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the reliability of the formula used to calculate the contextual value added measure of a school's performance; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what discussions his Department has had with teaching unions on the calculation of the contextual valued added measure of schools' performance.

Jim Knight: The formula used to calculate the contextual value added (CVA) measures was developed over a number of years, initially taking advice from leading academics in the field and then refining the models through close consultation with schools, local authorities and teacher unions. All supported the introduction of CVA and we continue to maintain close links with schools, local authorities and their unions on the use of CVA and how the model might be further refined. Many of the changes made to the model through the development years were brought about thanks to the contribution of schools and their representative bodies.
	This has produced a formula which estimates the contribution each school makes to its pupils' attainment, taking account of each pupil's starting point and a broad range of contextual factors which are shown to affect progress and for which consistent national data are available. The formula is widely accepted by schools as providing a fairer basis for comparison of schools than either raw statistics of attainment or un-contextualised value added.
	The formula for each key stage is calculated each year based on the actual attainment of the entire national cohort of over half a million pupils, and has been found to be very stable year-on-year in terms of the effects of particular factors such as deprivation, which indicates its robustness. A paper produced by the DfES for the OECD Project on the Development of Value-Added Models in Education Systems discusses some of the more technical aspects of the model and addresses both the advantages and disadvantages of the chosen approach. This is available on the Department's Research and Statistics website.
	Development work continues each year to refine the models, including implementing any necessary changes arising from the evaluation of each pilot and taking account of improved sources of data as they become available.

Special Educational Needs

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many new statements were issued for children with special educational needs of  (a) primary and  (b) secondary school age in each local authority area in each of the last 10 years; and what percentage of school age children they constituted in each case.

Parmjit Dhanda: The information requested has been placed in the House Library.

Specialised Diplomas: Expenditure

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what total expenditure has been allocated by his Department to the development of the Diploma; and how much funding has been given to the sector skills councils to develop the Diploma content.

Phil Hope: Up to the end of the 2007-08 financial year, the Department has allocated 22.85 million towards the development of the new 14-19 Diploma qualifications. Of this figure, 14.425 million has been allocated specifically to sector skills councils to support the work of Diploma Development Partnerships across all 14 Diploma lines.
	In addition, through existing delivery budgets, we have allocated a total of over 297 million up to the end of the 2007-08 financial year to support preparations for the delivery of Diplomas from September 2008.

St. Thomas of Canterbury School: Playing Fields

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  if he will place in the Library a copy of the agreement and consent given by his Department to St. Thomas of Canterbury School in Merrow, Guildford to sell part of its playing fields;
	(2)  what conditions were attached to the permission given by his Department to St. Thomas of Canterbury School in Merrow, Guildford to sell part of its playing fields; and whether any minimum  (a) sale price and  (b) capital value was specified.

Jim Knight: In May 2007 the governing body of St. Thomas of Canterbury Primary School received the Secretary of State's consent to dispose of part of its detached playing field. Approval was given on condition that the land was sold for a price of not less than 1.2 million and all of the sale proceeds were to be used to improve the school's remaining outdoor and indoor sports facilities. A further condition of approval was that a community user of the playing field subject to the application was guaranteed access to the school's remaining improved sports facilities. Officials are sending to the hon. Member a copy of the letter of consent.

Students: Fees and Charges

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the total receipts from university tuition fees in each year from 2008-09 to 2030-31; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The expected receipts from university tuition fees were given in the November 2005 statement to the commons and repeated as follows. These were based on the income from UK and EU full-time undergraduate students studying at English Higher Education institutions; where we estimated that once all cohorts of students were paying variables fees, the total fee income would equate to 2,250 million in 2006-07 prices.
	
		
			  Figure 1:  E stimated tuition fee income for higher education providers (once all students are paying variable fees) 
			   million 
			   2006-07 fee income( 1) 
			 Fee income from standard fee of 1,200 900 
			 Additional fee income from variable fees(2) 1,350 
			 Total 2,250 
			 (1) Figures are rounded to the nearest 50 million and are in 2006-07 prices. (2) Based on 91 per cent. of universities charging the full 3,000. 
		
	
	The latest estimates of tuition fee income for financial years 2008-09 to 2010-11 are shown in Figure 2 as follows, along with the proportion that is extra income from variable fees. Figures relate to fees paid by full-time UK and EU domiciled students studying in English institutions. These estimates differ slightly to those quoted in figure 1; mostly in that they are not steady-state (i.e. assume that there are still students in 2008/09 paying standard rather than variable fees) and relate to assumptions on average fees charged in later years.
	
		
			  Figure 2:  Estimated  tuition fee income in current prices (figures rounded to the nearest 100 million)( 1,2,3,4) 
			   million 
			   Fee income 
			   2008-09  2009-10  2010-11 
			 Fee income from standard fee 1,100 1,200 1,200 
			 Additional fee income from variable fees 1,300 1 ,600 1,800 
			 Total 2,400 2,800 3,000 
			 (1) All figures cover full-time undergraduates, but also PGCE students and part-time initial teacher training students. (2) Tuition fee income from un-regulated fees (i.e. fees charged to overseas and part-time students) is not included. (3) Figures are based on estimates of the relative proportion of new students paying variable fees; and continuing students paying fixed fees. (4) The figures include over 300 million a year to be recycled as non-repayable bursaries for students. 
		
	
	Estimates beyond 2010-11 have not yet been produced.

Teachers: Mesothelioma

Natascha Engel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many teachers have been diagnosed with mesothelioma in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  if he will issue updated guidance for schools on treatment of asbestos in school buildings;
	(3)  if he will require all asbestos to be removed from school buildings during refurbishment projects undertaken as part of the Building Schools for the Future programme;

Jim Knight: The Department does not have or collect any data on teachers who are diagnosed with any specific medical condition. However numbers of deaths from mesothelioma and asbestosis are published annually by HSE's Epidemiology and Medical Statistics Unit. They have also published an analysis of deaths from these diseases, between 1980 and 2000, which identifies teaching as a profession.
	We recently updated our Department's guidance on the management of asbestos in schools(1). In addition, the HSE also recently updated its notice to governors, proprietors and head teachers of schools in England and Wales about the duty to manage the risk from asbestos in school buildings(2).
	There is no requirement to remove asbestos from buildings during refurbishment. The Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations, as amended in 2004, do not require the automatic removal of Asbestos Containing Materials (ACM's). If the material is in good condition and will not be disturbed then it does not pose a health risk and it is usually safer to leave it in place and manage it. If the material is damaged or is likely to be disturbed and it cannot be repaired or protected, it should be removed.
	Anybody undertaking any sort of work on ACM's must be competent and adequately trained. Licensed contractors must be used for most work with asbestos insulation, asbestos insulating board and asbestos coatings.
	(1) www.teachernet.gov.uk/asbestos
	(2) www.hse.gov.uk/schools

Teachers: Pay

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average salary of teachers in Blackpool North and Fleetwood was in  (a) 1997 and  (b) the latest year for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: The information requested is not available at constituency level.
	The following table shows the average salary of full-time regular qualified teachers employed in Lancashire local authority maintained schools and in England and Wales in March 1997 and 2005, the latest information available.
	
		
			  Average salaries of full-time regular qualified teachers employed in local authority maintained schools in Lancashire local authority and England and Wales, March 1997 and 2005( 1) 
			   Lancashire local authority  ()  England and Wales  () 
			 1997 22,690 22,900 
			 2005(1) 32,740 32,930 
			 (1) Provisional estimates.   Source:  Database of Teacher Records.

Training: Coventry

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many workers in Coventry have received additional training under the Engineering Workforce Development scheme.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 21 June 2007
	I have been asked to reply.
	Following extensive inquiries with a wide range of Coventry and Regional partners including Advantage West Midlands, the Coventry and Warwickshire Learning and Skills Council, Coventry and Warwickshire Connexions, Coventry City Council and the Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire Partnership, it has not been possible to identify the Engineering Workforce Development scheme. If my hon. Friend wishes to write to me separately with more detail about the scheme, I will endeavour to provide the information requested.

Truancy

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills in how many schools more than  (a) 20 per cent.,  (b) 30 per cent. and  (c) 50 per cent. of pupils took unauthorised absence in the last school year for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: In 2006, 7,777 schools had more than 20 per cent. of their pupils take an unauthorised absence. 4,882 schools had more than 30 per cent. of pupils taken an unauthorised absence, while 1,716 schools had more than 50 per cent. of pupils take an unauthorised absence. These figures are from a total of 23,940 schools.
	Unauthorised absence is absence without leave from a teacher or other authorised representative of the school. This includes all unexplained or unjustified absences, such as lateness, holidays during term time not authorised by the school, absence where reason is not yet established and truancy.

Truancy

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many unauthorised absences were recorded in  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools in Warrington in each year since 1997, broken down by type of institution.

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many unauthorised absences were recorded in  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools in West Lancashire constituency in each year since 1997, broken down by type of school.

Jim Knight: The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost. Information on absence for all parliamentary constituencies has been placed in the Library.
	Information on absence in secondary schools, broken down by type of institution is available in the Library for the 2005/06 academic year. It is also available on the Department's website at:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000718/index.shtml
	Absence data for individual schools are available in the Library in the achievement and attainment tables. These are also available on the Department's website at:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/performancetables/

Vocational Training

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what evidence he collects on the performance of Train to Gain brokers; and what assessment he has made of the satisfaction levels of those using such brokerage services.

Phil Hope: The Train to Gain broker service is managed and monitored by the LSC on an ongoing basis. Detailed operational information is not held centrally by the Department but is collected by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC); Mark Haysom the LSC's chief executive has written directly to the hon. Member and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.
	 Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 19 June 2007:
	I have been asked by the Secretary of State for Education and Skills to respond to questions you posed regarding what evidence is collected on the performance of Train to Gain skills brokers, what assessment has been made of the satisfaction levels of those using such brokerage services, Level 3 Trials and any assessment that has been made in the North West.
	 Train to Gain: evidence collected on performance and satisfaction levels
	The performance of Train to Gain skills brokers against set targets is monitored and reported on a monthly basis. Monthly management information evidence includes employer engagement, employer size, sector data; skills broker referral destinations; learner profile, and employer satisfaction with the service provided by skills brokers. Performance against these targets has been reported each month since April 2006 and the information is used to manage the skills brokerage contractors.
	An independent survey of the skills brokerage service has been in place since the launch of Train to Gain in April 2006. The survey measures employers' satisfaction levels with the independence, impartiality and responsiveness of the skills brokerage service The current national satisfaction level with the service provided by skills brokerage organisations is 85.7%.
	 Train to Gain: Level 3 Trials
	The Level 3 Trials have been running in the region since August 2006. In the first six months of operation the Trials did not perform well, with negligible learners on programme. As a consequence an early assessment of the Trials was carried out with providers within the region.
	The assessment of the Trials resulted in the Department for Education and Skills and the Minister for Skills agreeing to allow the LSC to amend the policy. This has reduced policy conflicts that existed between mainstream Further Education and the Trials.
	The LSC spent the early part of 2007 working with providers and Skills Brokers to both re-contract and communicate the policy changes. The changes are now implemented and the learner numbers in all Trial regions are increasing steadily month on month. Performance is still lower than we had anticipated but monitoring and further research is ongoing to ensure that issues relating to performance are understood.

Vocational Training

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people have  (a) started and  (b) completed the Train to Gain programme in each region of England since its inception; and what the targets are for each region.

Phil Hope: Train to Gain is an ongoing service and as such performance is updated on a regular basis. Detailed operational information is not held centrally by the Department but is collected by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). Mark Haysom the LSC's Chief Executive will write directly to the hon. Member and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.

Vocational Training

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the per capita cost is of each qualification gained under  (a) the Train to Gain programme since its inception and  (b) the Employer Training Pilot programme in each region of England.

Phil Hope: Train to Gain is a major new service that will raise skill levels and the quality of training across England. It commenced in the 20 Learning and Skills Council (LSC) areas covered by the former Employer Training Pilots (ETPs) from April 2006, and reached full coverage across England in August 2006. Full operational capacity will not be reached till the end of 2007-08 from which point we expect it to deliver 175,000 first full Level 2 achievements per year. As at the end of April 2007 over 40,000 employers had engaged with Train to Gain, 154,290 employees had commenced training and 32,800 learners had achieved a first full Level 2 qualification.
	Train to Gain offers employers a holistic service. Independent and impartial skills brokers help employers understand and meet their business needs. In some cases this can mean directly helping the employer in upskilling their workforce to gain basic skills and a range of qualifications from basics skills, such as literacy and numeracy to higher education qualifications. Skills Brokers also help employers identify potential sources of public funding, but also any likely contribution from employers, including paid time off for the individual to undertake the training. If the business need goes much wider than LSC funded provision, the Skills Broker will refer the employer to other services such as Jobcentre Plus, Investors in People, and Business Link for more general business advice as well as business to business networks. To date, more than 12,000 such referrals have been made to non training destinations.
	It is therefore not possible to calculate a per capita cost per qualification that takes account of this added value of the Train to Gain service. We will, however, continue to develop more accurate methods of determining the gross added value of the service as a whole.

Vocational Training

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the evidence is for increased employer investment in work force training arising from the Train to Gain programme.

Phil Hope: Train to Gain is a major new service that will raise skills levels and the quality of training across England. It commenced in 20 Learning and Skills Council (LSC) areas covered by the former employer training pilots (ETPs) from April 2006, and reached full coverage across England in August 2006. Full operational capacity will not be reached until the end of 2007-08. In its first year of operation, it has already engaged more than 40,000 employers with some 70 per cent. of those defined as hard to reach (i.e. not recognised as an Investors in People and no recorded investment in training).
	Independent and impartial Skills Brokers work with the employers to identify how skills might help them meet their business goals, including increased productivity. The Skills Brokers also help the employer identify possible sources of public funding available, as well as identifying the need for employer investment, in both funding for training and in paid time off for employees to study for the relevant qualification. Train to Gain continues to be evaluated on an ongoing basis and we already know that 85 per cent. of employers are satisfied with the service they are receiving. While it is too early to measure at a national level, we already know of many employers at regional and local level who have realised the benefits of investing in the skills of their work force and have returned to their Skills Broker for additional advice and guidance.
	Train to Gain was developed from the employer training pilots and a full evaluation of those pilots was published in 2006. One of the findings was that 71 per cent. were more convinced that training less skilled employees can benefit the business. A copy of the report has been placed in the House Library.

Vocational Training

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether he plans to review progress of employer delivery of the skills pledge in 2010 as outlined in the final report of the Leitch review of skills.

Phil Hope: The Skills Pledge is a voluntary, public commitment by the leadership of a company or organisation to support all its employees to develop their basic skills, including literacy and numeracy, and work towards relevant, valuable qualifications to at least level 2 (equivalent to five good GCSEs). For those employees who do not already have a full level 2 qualification, the Government will provide funding to help them gain basic literacy and numeracy skills as well as their first full level 2 qualification.
	We remain committed to this voluntary approach. However, as recommended by Lord Leitch, in 2010 we will review whether progress on a voluntary basis is sufficient, or if we need to consider at that point whether to introduce a statutory entitlement to work force training in England.

Vocational Training: Expenditure

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of the  (a) Train to Gain,  (b) 19+ FE and  (c) 19+ work-based learning budget was spent on (i) first full Level 1, (ii) first full Level 2, (iii) first full Level 3 and (iv) spending outside these categories in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Phil Hope: We have increased public investment in further education by 48 per cent. in real terms between 1997-98 and 2005-06. Adult education funding will increase by 7 per cent. between 2005-06 and 2007-08, with funding for young people increasing by 13 per cent. over the same period. This means that overall in 2007-08, through the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) we will invest 11.2 billion, an increase of 716 million compared with 2006-07. This includes the significant investment in Train to Gain to ensure more employers are able to receive the training they need for employees. Train to Gain has yet to complete a first year. It started in April 2006, and reached full coverage across England in August 2006. Train to Gain full operational capacity will be reached at the end of 2007-08. The Train to Gain budget will grow by 62 per cent. to 460 million in 2007-08.
	The Department does not hold information on publicly funded post-16 provision at levels requested. Mark Haysom, the Learning and Skills Council's chief executive will reply to the hon. Member with the requested information and will place a copy of his reply in the House Library.

Warrington Collegiate: Finance

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much  (a) capital and  (b) revenue funding was allocated to Warrington Collegiate in each year since 1997, broken down by funding stream category.

Bill Rammell: This Government are fully committed to developing a world leading FE system. In 1996-97, Government expenditure for FE capital was nil. In 2007-08, the Government plan to spend just under 500 million on FE capital. In a little over a decade, the total investment by this Government in the FE sector's buildings and facilities will be just over 2 billion.
	We have increased revenue funding in further education by 48 per cent. in real terms between 1997-98 and 2005-06. In 2007-08, through the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), we will invest 11.2 billion, an increase of 716 million compared with 2006-07.
	The LSC capital and revenue funding allocations to Warrington Collegiate for each year since 2001, when the LSC was established, are set out in Table 1. Information on allocations prior to 2001-02 is a matter for LSC and Mark Haysom, the LSC Chief Executive, will write to the hon. Member with this information and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.
	
		
			  Table 1: LSC funding allocations to Warrington Collegiate 
			   2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 FE: 16-18  2,538,489 3,216,000 3,623,812 4,138,886 4,676,780 4,832,393 
			 FE: 19+  4,345,011 4,790,000 5,063,000 4,877,459 4,507,113 3,653,868 
			 FE: Adult Learner Support (ALS)  1,323,750 1,139,000 1,116,000 1,027,605 1,053,295 1,079,627 
			 Total FE 8,523,900 8,207,250 9,145,000 9,802,812 10,043,950 10,237,188 9,565,888 
			 Apprenticeships 438,780 624,066 618,536 628,829 847,115 1,003,627 1,198,916 
			 Train to Gain  263,016 420,350 
			 Total LSC Revenue Allocation 8,962,680 8,831,316 9,763,536 10,431,641 10,891,065 11,503,831 11,185,154 
			 Total LSC Capital Allocation8,100,000
			  Source: LSC.

Young People: Death

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many fatalities there were of children aged  (a) zero to four,  (b) five to eight,  (c) nine to 12 and  (d) 13 to 16 years where the cause of death occurred in (i) the home, (ii) at school, (iii) in hospital, (iv) on a sports ground or similar space where sporting activities occur, (v) public parks and (vi) other places in each year since 1997.

John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 25 June 2007:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your four recent questions about deaths of children listed here:
	How many deaths there have been following recorded injuries of children aged (a) 0 to four, (b) five to eight, (c) nine to 12 and (d) 13 to 16 years which have taken place (i) in the home, (ii) at school, (iii) in hospital, (iv) on a sports ground or other place where sporting activities occur, (v) in public parks and (vi) in other places in each year since 1997; (144259)
	how many deaths there have been following recorded injuries of children aged (a) 0 to four, (b) five to eight, (c) nine to 12 and (d) 13 to 16 years in each year since 1997; (144262)
	how many fatalities there were of children aged (a) zero to four, (b) five to eight, (c) nine to 12 and (d) 13 to 16 years in each year since 1997; (144278)
	how many fatalities there were of children aged (a) zero to four, (b) five to eight, (c) nine to 12 and (d) 13 to 16 years where the cause of death occurred in (i) the home, (ii) at school, (iii) in hospital, (iv) on a sports ground or similar space where sporting activities occur, (v) public parks and (vi) other places in each year since 1997. (144277)
	Not all of the information you requested exists. The Office for National Statistics does not collect information on recorded injuries but does collect data on all registered deaths, including those with an underlying cause of injury, categorised by coroner's verdictaccident, intentional self-harm, homicide, and injury of undetermined intent. Information on place of occurrence of death is collected at registration for all deaths.
	However, information on place of occurrence of the cause of death (i.e. where the person was when they were injured or became ill) is only collected on coroner's certificates of cause of death after inquest for deaths from injury and poisoning with a verdict of accident (including misadventure). The coroner is asked to select one often pre-specified categories of 'place where the accident occurred'.
	The place of accident is then coded by ONS according to the revision of the International Classification of Diseases in use at the time (Ninth Revision 'ICD-9' from 1979 to 2000, and Tenth Revision 'ICD-10' since 2001). 'Home' and 'place of sport or recreation', are specified categories in both revisions, but school and hospital are not. They are subsumed in much larger categories: both are in 'public building' in ICD-10, but hospital was classified in 'resident institution' in ICD-9. Place of occurrence of injury is not coded in the same way for deaths from transport accidents, but the vast majority of these are motor vehicle accidents, and for most the place of accident would be street or highway. We have shown transport accidents separately in attached tables.
	The tables below show the number of deaths in children by age group for all deaths, and deaths with a coroner's verdict of accident by place of occurrence of accident, between 1997 and 2005 in England and Wales.
	
		
			  Table 1:  N umber of deaths in children by age group from all causes and deaths with a coroner's verdict of accident( 1)  England and Wales, 1997-2005( 2) 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			  All deaths  
			 0 to four(3) 4,509 4,347 4,326 3,958 3,828 3,678 3,892 3,734 3,760 
			 Five to eight 356 344 316 301 313 285 274 251 230 
			 Nine to 12 381 344 344 342 284 308 306 273 274 
			 13 to 16 625 587 537 502 570 562 506 516 485 
			   
			  Accidental deaths  
			 0 to four(4) 138 147 141 118 117 104 115 97 88 
			 Five to eight 69 42 60 50 47 46 40 25 32 
			 Nine to 12 100 90 84 83 56 61 49 59 46 
			 13 to 16 198 163 149 160 177 142 140 150 148 
			 (1) Selected using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes E800-E928 for the years 1997 to 2000 and Tenth Revision (LCD-10) codes V01-X59, Y40-Y84from 2001 onwards. (2) Figures are for occurrences of death in each calendar year. (3) Includes neonatal deaths (deaths occurring within the first 28 days of life). (4) Excludes neonatal deaths (deaths occurring within the first 28 days of life) as, since 1986, a single underlying cause of death is not know for these deaths. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2a:  N umber of deaths in children by age group with a coroner's verdict of accident( 1)  by place of occurrence of injury, England and Wales, 1997-2000( 2) 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000 
			  At home 
			 0 to four(3) 70 81 85 68 
			 Five to eight 10 7 10 12 
			 Nine to 12 13 16 11 13 
			 13 to 16 26 24 21 23 
			  
			  Place for recreation and sport( 4) 
			 0 to four(3) 0 0 1 2 
			 Five to eight 5 1 3 0 
			 Nine to 12 3 4 5 1 
			 13 to 16 5 2 3 4 
			  
			  Public building( 5) 
			 0 to four(3) 1 1 0 0 
			 Five to eight 4 2 0 1 
			 Nine to 12 0 1 1 0 
			 13 to 16 1 2 2 1 
			  
			  Other specified and unspecified place( 6) 
			 0 to four(3) 22 21 27 17 
			 Five to eight 9 6 7 9 
			 Nine to 12 13 13 10 14 
			 13 to 16 25 26 14 21 
			  
			  Transport accidents( 7) 
			 0 to four(3) 45 44 28 31 
			 Five to eight 41 26 40 28 
			 Nine to 12 71 56 57 55 
			 13 to 16 141 109 109 111 
			 (1) Selected using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes E850-E928. (2) Figures are for occurrences of death in each calendar year. (3) Excludes neonatal deaths (deaths occurring within the first 28 days of life) as, since 1986, a single underlying cause of death is not know for these deaths. (4) Selected using 4(th) digit of ICD-9 code. 0. (5) Selected using 4(th) digit of ICD-9 code. 4 and includes public park and playground, including school playground. (6) Selected using 4(th) digit of ICD-9 code .6. (7) Selected using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes E880-E848. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2b:  N umber of deaths in children by age group with a coroner's verdict of accident( 1)  by place of occurrence of injury, England and Wales, 2001-05( 2) 
			   2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			  At home  
			 0 to four(3) 66 59 69 55 48 
			 Five to eight 11 15 8 6 9 
			 Nine to 12 9 13 16 9 12 
			 13 to 16 25 24 19 18 12 
			   
			  Sports and athletics area( 4)  
			 0 to four(3) 0 1 0 0 0 
			 Five to eight 1 0 0 0 0 
			 Nine to 12 1 3 0 0 0 
			 13 to 16 5 0 2 1 0 
			   
			  School, other institution and public administrative area( 5)  
			 0 to four(3) 0 1 0 1 1 
			 Five to eight 0 0 1 0 0 
			 Nine to 12 1 0 0 0 1 
			 13 to 16 2 0 2 0 1 
			   
			  Other specified and unspecified place( 6)  
			 0 to four(3) 15 15 23 19 14 
			 Five to eight 2 6 10 5 6 
			 Nine to 12 5 7 4 9 7 
			 13 to 16 24 19 20 14 33 
			   
			  Transport accidents( 7)  
			 0 to four(3) 36 28 23 22 25 
			 Five to eight 33 25 21 14 17 
			 Nine to 12 40 38 29 41 26 
			 13 to 16 121 99 97 117 102 
			 (1) Selected using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes WOO-X59, Y40-Y84. (2) Figures are for occurrences of death in each calendar year. (3) Excludes neonatal deaths (deaths occurring within the first 28 days of life) as, since 1986, a single underlying cause of death is not know for these deaths. (4) Selected using 4(th) digit of ICD-10 code . 0. (5) Selected using 4(th) digit of ICD-10 code .3 and excludes public park and playground. (6) Selected using 4(th) digit of ICD-10 code .2. (7) Selected using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes V01-V99.